Shloka 21
Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)
अथाब्रवीद् बाहुकस्तं संख्याय च बिभीतकम् । ततो विदर्भान् यास्यामि कुरुष्वैवं वचो मम,यह सुनकर बाहुकने कहा--“मैं बहेड़ेके फलोंको गिनकर विदर्भदेशको चलूँगा। आप मेरी यह बात मान लीजिये”
athābravīd bāhukastaṃ saṅkhyāya ca bibhītakam | tato vidarbhān yāsyāmi kuruṣvaivaṃ vaco mama ||
Lalu Bāhuka berkata kepadanya: “Setelah aku menghitung buah bibhītaka itu, barulah aku akan berangkat ke Vidarbha. Maka laksanakanlah menurut kata-kataku.”
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a grounded ethic of responsibility and composure: complete the immediate obligation carefully (counting the fruits) and then proceed toward the larger goal (departing for Vidarbha). It reflects steadiness, planning, and adherence to one’s chosen course without haste or confusion.
Bāhuka addresses another person and states his plan: he will first count the bibhītaka fruits and afterward travel to Vidarbha, asking the listener to follow his instruction. In the broader Vana Parva context, Bāhuka is the disguised Nala, moving cautiously and methodically as events draw him toward Vidarbha.