Shloka 21
अर्जुनस्य लक्ष्यवेधः
Arjuna’s Hitting of the Target at the Svayaṃvara
न चैतन्न: प्रियं तात यदिदं कर्तुमिच्छसि । नियच्छेदं मन: पापात् सर्वलोकपराभवात्
na caitannaḥ priyaṃ tāta yad idaṃ kartum icchasi | niyacchedam manaḥ pāpāt sarvalokaparābhavāt ||
വസിഷ്ഠൻ പറഞ്ഞു—മകനേ, നീ ചെയ്യാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നത് ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് പ്രിയമല്ല. സർവ്വലോകങ്ങളുടെ നാശം മഹാപാപമാണ്; അതിനാൽ ഈ പാപമാർഗത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മനസ്സിനെ നിയന്ത്രിക്കൂ.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vasiṣṭha teaches self-restraint: one should check the mind from sinful impulses, especially when an intended act would cause widespread harm. Ethical judgment is framed in terms of consequences for the whole world (sarva-loka) and the avoidance of pāpa.
Vasiṣṭha addresses a younger person affectionately (“tāta”) and dissuades him from carrying out a plan that Vasiṣṭha considers unacceptable. The warning emphasizes that the proposed action would lead to the downfall of all worlds, so the listener must restrain his mind and abandon the course.