Khāṇḍava-dāha: Strategic containment and Indra’s rain (Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 217)
ततोडर्जुनं वासुदेवस्तां चर्या पर्यपृच्छत । किमर्थ पाण्डवैतानि तीर्थान्यनुचरस्युत,तब भगवान् वासुदेवने अर्जुनसे उनकी जीवनचर्याके सम्बन्धमें पूछा--“पाण्डव! तुम किसलिये तीर्थोंमें विचर रहे हो?”
tato 'rjunaṃ vāsudevas tāṃ caryāṃ paryapṛcchata | kimarthaṃ pāṇḍavaitāni tīrthāny anucarasy uta ||
Então Vāsudeva perguntou a Arjuna sobre seu rumo de vida e sua conduta: “Ó Pāṇḍava, por que motivo andas a peregrinar de um tīrtha a outro, de um vau sagrado ao seguinte?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights that outward religious acts like visiting tīrthas should be grounded in a clear purpose aligned with dharma—purification, restraint, duty, or a vowed discipline—rather than being aimless or merely performative.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) directly questions Arjuna about his way of life and asks why he is moving among pilgrimage sites, setting up an explanation of Arjuna’s circumstances and intent.