Shloka 21
ततोअग्निं खाण्डवं दग्धुमायान्तं दृष्टवानृषि: । मन्दपाल शक्षरंस्तस्मिन् वने लपितया सह,उधर वनमें लपिताके साथ विचरते हुए मन्दपाल मुनिने अग्निदेवको खाण्डववनका दाह करनेके लिये आते देखा
tato 'gniṁ khāṇḍavaṁ dagdhum āyāntaṁ dṛṣṭavān ṛṣiḥ | mandapālaḥ śakraṁs tasmin vane lapitayā saha ||
Then the sage Mandapāla, roaming in that forest together with Lapitā, saw Agni approaching with the intent to burn the Khāṇḍava forest. The scene sets a moral tension between a cosmic act of purification and destruction and the immediate duty to protect life that dwells within the forest.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata ethical tension: even when a divine or cosmic force moves toward destruction (often framed as purification or destiny), the human and ascetic perspective foregrounds immediate responsibility toward living beings and the consequences of such acts.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the sage Mandapāla, while moving about in the forest with Lapitā, notices Agni coming specifically to burn the Khāṇḍava forest, signaling the onset of a major destructive event.