Shloka 22
Arjuna’s Absence, Bhīma’s Kṣātra-Dharma Appeal, and Bṛhadaśva’s Arrival
Nala-Upākhyāna Begins
प्रत्यक्ष सर्वलोकस्य खाण्डवे यत् कृतं पुरा । फाल्गुनेन सहायार्थे वल्लेर्दमोदरेण च,आजसे पहले खाण्डववनमें अग्निदेवकी सहायताके लिये श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनने जो कुछ किया है, वह तो सम्पूर्ण जगत्की आँखोंके सामने है
pratyakṣaṁ sarvalokasya khāṇḍave yat kṛtaṁ purā | phālgunena sahāyārthe valler dāmodareṇa ca ||
Dijo Dhṛtarāṣṭra: «Lo que se hizo antaño en el bosque de Khāṇḍava—abiertamente, ante los ojos de todo el mundo—por Phālguna (Arjuna), con Dāmodara (Kṛṣṇa) como compañero, para auxiliar a Agni, es cosa bien sabida».
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that certain actions—especially those affecting many—become matters of public moral record. Dhṛtarāṣṭra points to the widely witnessed Khāṇḍava deed to frame reputation and accountability: deeds done in the open cannot be denied and carry ethical consequences.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra recalls the earlier, famous event in which Arjuna (Phālguna), together with Kṛṣṇa (Dāmodara), acted in the Khāṇḍava forest to assist Agni. He cites it as a well-known precedent, emphasizing that it occurred before the eyes of the world.