Shloka 5

कालविभाग-निरूपणं तथा युद्धव्यवस्था

Time-Reckoning and Mobilization Counsel

Devanagari script

अनिवत्ते तु निर्वासे यदि बीभत्सुरागत: । पुनर्द्घादेश वर्षाणि बने वत्स्यन्ति पाण्डवा:

Transliteration

anivṛtte tu nirvāse yadi bībhatsur āgataḥ | punar dvy-ādaśa varṣāṇi vane vatsyanti pāṇḍavāḥ ||

Translation

ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ຖ້າກ່ອນທີ່ໄລຍະການຖືກເນລະເທດຈະສຳເລັດຄົບຖ້ວນ ບີພັດສຸ (ອາຣຊຸນ) ກັບອອກມາ, ພວກປານດະວະ ຈະຖືກບັງຄັບໃຫ້ໄປຢູ່ປ່າອີກຄັ້ງ ອີກ 12 ປີ.»

Word by Word

अनिवृत्तेwhen (it is) not returned/when (there is) no return

तुbut, however

निर्वासेin exile/banishment

यदिif

बीभत्सुःBhībhatsu (Arjuna)

रागतःhas come/returned

पुनःagain, further

द्वादशtwelve

वर्षाणिyears

वनेin the forest

वत्स्यन्तिwill dwell/live

पाण्डवाःthe Pāṇḍavas

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bībhatsu (Arjuna)

Pāṇḍavas

forest (vana)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores dharma as strict fidelity to agreed terms: even an early return that violates the exile’s conditions brings renewed hardship. Ethical life here is framed as accountability—actions have binding consequences, and vows/conditions must be honored precisely.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana states a conditional rule: if Arjuna (Bībhatsu) comes back before the exile period is properly completed, the Pāṇḍavas would have to undergo another full twelve-year forest exile, indicating the seriousness of the exile’s stipulations.