Shloka 3
Śārṅgakānāṃ Avināśaḥ (Why the Śārṅga Birds Were Spared) | शार्ङ्गकानामविनाशः
अर्थलुब्धान् न व: पार्थो मन्यते सात्वतान् सदा । स्वयंवरमनाधृष्यं मन्यते चापि पाण्डव:,'पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुन यह जानते हैं कि सात्वतवंशके लोग सदासे ही धनके लोभी नहीं हैं, अतः धन देकर कन्या नहीं ली जा सकती। साथ ही पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनको यह भी मालूम है कि स्वयंवरमें कनन््याके मिल जानेका पूर्ण निश्चय नहीं रहता, अतः वह भी अग्राह्म ही है
arthalubdhān na vaḥ pārtho manyate sātvātān sadā | svayaṃvaram anādhṛṣyaṃ manyate cāpi pāṇḍavaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Pārtha (Arjuna) no os considera, a vosotros los Sātvatas, gente siempre codiciosa de riquezas; por ello no cree que una doncella pueda obtenerse mediante pago. Y el hijo de Pāṇḍu también juzga poco fiable un svayaṃvara—pues allí el éxito no está asegurado—y por eso estima que ese camino tampoco merece confianza.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical discernment in choosing means: Arjuna refuses to assume mercenary motives in the Sātvatas (so he does not treat marriage as a purchase), and he also avoids a path whose outcome is uncertain (svayaṃvara), implying that honorable ends should be pursued through appropriate and dependable means.
Vaiśampāyana explains Arjuna’s assessment of two possible ways of obtaining a bride: he rejects the idea of winning her by wealth because the Sātvatas are not thought to be money-driven, and he also dismisses reliance on a svayaṃvara because it offers no guaranteed success.