Shloka 9
Virāṭanagara-nivāsa-nirṇaya
Decision to Reside in Virāṭa’s City
स साधु कौन्तेय इतो वासमर्जुन रोचय । संवत्सरमिमं यत्र वसेमाविदिता: परै:
sa sādhu kaunteya ito vāsam arjuna rocaya | saṃvatsaram imaṃ yatra vase maviditāḥ paraiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Well then, O son of Kuntī—Arjuna—choose, according to your own judgment, a suitable place to live. Let us go there and spend this full year in such a way that our enemies do not come to know of us.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prudence in the service of dharma: when circumstances demand, one should adopt careful strategy—such as choosing a secure refuge and maintaining secrecy—so that a righteous goal can be preserved without needless confrontation.
At the beginning of the Virāṭa episode, the speaker urges Arjuna to select an appropriate place for the Pāṇḍavas to reside for the final year of their exile, ensuring they remain undiscovered by their enemies during the required incognito period.