Shloka 21
पाण्डवपरिचयः—विराटसभायां प्रकाशनम्
Identification of the Pāṇḍavas in Virāṭa’s Court
न त्वेष बीभत्सुरलं नृशंसं कर्तु न पापे5स्य मनो विशिष्टम्
na tveṣa bībhatsur alaṁ nṛśaṁsaṁ kartuṁ na pāpe 'sya mano viśiṣṭam
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Namun Arjuna (Bībhatsu) bukanlah orang yang melakukan perbuatan kejam dan tak berperikemanusiaan. Pikirannya tidak condong pada dosa. Bahkan demi kedaulatan atas tiga dunia pun ia takkan meninggalkan dharmanya. Itulah sebabnya, dalam bentrokan ini, ia tidak merenggut nyawa kita semua. Wahai pahlawan utama wangsa Kuru, segeralah kembali ke negeri Kuru; Arjuna pun akan pulang setelah merebut kembali ternak-ternak itu. Jagalah agar karena delusi kepentinganmu sendiri tidak runtuh. Hendaknya orang menempuh tindakan yang membawa kesejahteraan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral character and dharma restrain even a powerful warrior: Arjuna is portrayed as incapable of cruelty and unwilling to abandon righteousness even for supreme worldly gain; therefore one should choose actions that lead to true welfare rather than be driven by delusion or short-term advantage.
Vaiśampāyana explains that Arjuna did not slaughter everyone in the encounter because his nature is not cruel and his mind does not turn to sin; he urges a prompt return to Kurudeśa and notes that Arjuna will return after recovering the cattle, warning against losing one’s own interest through मोह (delusion).