Shloka 21
Subhadrā-vivāha-saṃsthāpana, Vṛṣṇi–Kuru satkāra, and Abhimanyu-janma
Chapter 213
अजुन उवाच ब्रह्मचर्यमिदं भद्रे मम द्वादशवार्षिकम् । धर्मराजेन चादिष्ट॑ नाहमस्मि स्वयंवश:,अर्जुन बोले-भद्रे! यह मेरे बारह वर्षोतक चालू रहनेवाले ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतका समय है। धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरने मुझे इस व्रतके पालनकी आज्ञा दी है। अतः मैं अपने वशमें नहीं हूँ
arjuna uvāca | brahmacaryam idaṃ bhadre mama dvādaśavārṣikam | dharmarājena cādiṣṭaṃ nāham asmi svayaṃvaśaḥ ||
Arjuna disse: “Ó nobre senhora, este é o período do meu voto de brahmacarya por doze anos. Ele me foi imposto por Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira); portanto, não sou livre para agir segundo a minha própria vontade.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethically, Arjuna frames personal desire as secondary to dharma: a vowed discipline, especially when enjoined by a respected authority (Dharmarāja), limits one’s freedom and must be honored through self-restraint.
Arjuna addresses a woman respectfully (“bhadre”) and explains that he is bound by a twelve-year brahmacarya vow commanded by Yudhiṣṭhira, so he cannot act independently or break the discipline.