Shloka 27
Dhanañjaya-viraha-śoka and the Resolve to Enter Gandhamādana (धनंजय-विरह-शोकः गन्धमादन-प्रवेश-संकल्पश्च)
मक्षिकादंशमशकानू् सिंहान् व्याप्रान् सरीसूपान् | प्राप्रोत्यनियत: पार्थ नियतस्तान् न पश्यति,भीमसेन! जो अपने मन और इन्द्रियोंपर संयम नहीं रखता, ऐसे मनुष्यको वहाँ जानेपर मक्खी, डाँस, मच्छर, सिंह, व्याप्र और सर्पोका सामना करना पड़ता है, परंतु जो संयम- नियमसे रहनेवाला है, उसे उन जन्तुओंका दर्शनतक नहीं होता
makṣikādaṃśamaśakān siṃhān vyāghrān sarīsṛpān | prāpnoty aniyataḥ pārtha niyatas tān na paśyati bhīmasena ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Oh Pārtha, quien carece de disciplina—quien no refrena mente y sentidos—al ir allí se topa con moscas, tábanos, mosquitos, leones, tigres y serpientes rastreras. Pero el hombre dueño de sí, que vive con contención y regla, ni siquiera llega a ver a esas criaturas».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that external dangers are closely tied to inner discipline: an unrestrained person, driven by uncontrolled mind and senses, is prone to encounter harm and disturbance, whereas one who lives with niyama (regulated conduct) and self-restraint moves through the same environment without being afflicted—suggesting that ethical and mental discipline shapes one’s experience of the world.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Pārtha (Arjuna) and also calls out to Bhīma, explaining a principle relevant to life in the forest: those lacking restraint face many threats (insects and wild beasts), but the disciplined person does not even come into contact with them. The statement functions as practical counsel and moral instruction during the Pāṇḍavas’ forest context.