Shloka 55
Vyāsa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira: Pratismṛti-vidyā, Arjuna’s Aśtra-Quest, and the Move to Kāmyaka
भ्रातृंस्तान् विपिने त्यक्त्वा वैरमप्रतियात्य च । अकीर्ति सर्वलोकेषु गच्छेयं शाश्वती: समा:,तब महेन्द्रने प्रसन्नचित्त हो हँसते हुए-से कहा--“धनंजय! जब तुम यहाँतक आ पहुँचे, तब तुम्हें अस्त्रोंको लेकर क्या करना है? अब इच्छानुसार उत्तम लोक माँग लो; क्योंकि तुम्हें उत्तम गति प्राप्त हुई है।। यह सुनकर धनंजयने पुनः देवराजसे कहा--देवेश्वर! मैं अपने भाइयोंको वनमें छोड़कर (शत्रुओंसे) वैरका बदला लिये बिना लोभ अथवा कामनाके वशीभूत हो न तो देवत्व चाहता हूँ, न सुख और न सम्पूर्ण देवताओंका एऐश्वर्य प्राप्त कर लेनेकी ही मेरी इच्छा है। यदि मैंने वैसा किया तो सदाके लिये सम्पूर्ण लोकोंमें मुझे महान् अपयश प्राप्त होगा”
bhrātṝṁs tān vipine tyaktvā vairam apratiyātya ca | akīrtiṁ sarvalokeṣu gaccheyaṁ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “If I were to abandon my brothers in the forest and fail to exact requital for the enmity done to us, I would incur disgrace in all worlds for endless years.” In ethical force, the statement rejects personal gain or heavenly reward when it would come at the cost of duty to one’s kin and the obligation to answer injustice; honor (kīrti) is framed as inseparable from steadfastness to one’s rightful responsibility.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True honor is tied to dharma: one should not abandon rightful obligations—especially to family and justice—for the sake of comfort, reward, or even heavenly attainments; otherwise one earns lasting disgrace (akīrti).
In the Vana Parva context, Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) speaks in a setting where divine rewards or higher worlds are offered; he insists he cannot leave his brothers in forest exile and refrain from answering the hostility against them, because that would bring enduring ill-fame.