Shloka 426
Pāṇḍu’s Marriages, Conquests, and Triumphal Return (पाण्डोर्विवाह-विजय-प्रत्यागमनम्)
न हि मामव्रतोपेता उपेयात् काचिदड़ना । विचित्रवीर्यकी स्त्रियोंको मेरे बताये अनुसार एक वर्षतक विधिपूर्वक व्रत (जितेन्द्रिय होकर केवल संतानार्थ साधन) करना होगा
na hi mām avratopetā upeyāt kācid aṅganā | vicitravīryakī striyo me batāye anusār ek varṣa tak vidhipūrvaka vrata (jitendriya hokar kevala santānārtha sādhana) karanā hogā, tabhī ve śuddha hoṅgī | jisne vratakā pālan nahīṃ kiyā hai, aisī koī bhī strī mere samīpa nahīṃ ā sakatī |
Vyāsa berkata: “Tiada seorang wanita pun yang belum menunaikan nazar yang ditetapkan boleh mendekatiku. Isteri-isteri Vicitravīrya mesti, sebagaimana telah aku arahkan, memelihara nazar selama genap setahun dengan disiplin dan aturan—mengekang diri dan hanya berniat untuk memperoleh zuriat—barulah mereka dianggap suci. Mana-mana wanita yang tidak mematuhi nazar itu tidak boleh datang menghampiriku.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage stresses that major duties—especially those tied to lineage and social order—must be undertaken with discipline (vrata), self-restraint, and procedural correctness. Ethical fitness and ritual readiness are presented as prerequisites for approaching a revered sage and for performing a consequential act like sanctioned procreation.
Vyāsa sets conditions before engaging in the sanctioned procreative arrangement meant to continue the Kuru line after Vicitravīrya’s death. He declares that Vicitravīrya’s wives must first complete a year-long, rule-bound vow of self-control aimed solely at obtaining offspring; without this observance, they are not permitted to approach him.