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 ||
Vasiṣṭha berkata: “Wahai anak yang dikasihi, apa yang engkau ingin lakukan ini tidak menyenangkan hati kami. Tahanlah fikiranmu daripada jalan yang berdosa ini, kerana ia akan membawa kepada kebinasaan semua alam.”
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.