Shloka 116
Śārṅgakānāṃ Avināśaḥ (Why the Śārṅga Birds Were Spared) | शार्ङ्गकानामविनाशः
प्रणश्येद् वो यश: सद्यो न तु सान्त्वे पराजय: । “यदि अर्जुन आपलोगोंको बलपूर्वक हराकर अपने नगरमें चले गये, तब तो आपलोगोंका सारा यश तत्काल ही नष्ट हो जायगा और सान्त्वनापूर्वक उन्हें ले आनेमें अपनी पराजय नहीं है'
praṇaśyed vo yaśaḥ sadyo na tu sāntve parājayaḥ |
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: “Vuestra fama se arruinaría al instante, pero no hay deshonra en ceder por conciliación. Si Arjuna os venciera por la fuerza y regresara a su ciudad, vuestro honor quedaría destruido de inmediato; en cambio, traerlo de vuelta con persuasión suave no es una derrota.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts two outcomes: losing honor through being overpowered versus preserving dignity through peaceful conciliation. It teaches that choosing persuasion and restraint is not true defeat; the real loss is the public ruin of reputation that follows from being forcibly subdued.
Vaiśampāyana frames a strategic-ethical counsel regarding Arjuna: if Arjuna defeats the opposing party and returns to his own city, their fame will be instantly damaged. Therefore, the preferable course is to bring him back through sāntva—gentle persuasion—since that does not count as a humiliating loss.