Shloka 29
Duryodhana’s Account of Gandharva Defeat and the Pandavas’ Intervention (दुर्योधनवर्णितो गन्धर्वसंग्रामः)
स्वर्ग हि गत्वा सशरीर एव को मानुष: पुनरागन्तुमिच्छेत् । अन्यत्र कालोपहताननेकान् समीक्षमाणस्तु कुरून् मुमूर्षून्,“सदेह स्वर्गमें जाकर कौन मनुष्य इस संसारमें पुनः लौटना चाहेगा। अर्जुनके पुनः मर्त्यलोकमें लौटनेका कारण इसके सिवा दूसरा नहीं है कि ये बहुसंखयक कौरव कालके वशीभूत हो मृत्युके निकट पहुँच गये हैं और अर्जुन इनकी इस अवस्थाको अच्छी तरह देख रहे हैं
svargaṁ hi gatvā saśarīra eva ko mānuṣaḥ punar āgantum icchet | anyatra kālopahatān anekān samīkṣamāṇas tu kurūn mumūrṣūn ||
Disse Vaiśaṃpāyana: “Tendo ido ao céu com este mesmo corpo, que homem desejaria voltar outra vez? Só por outro motivo alguém retornaria: ao ver muitos Kurus abatidos pelo Tempo, pairando à beira da morte.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts the bliss of heaven with the pull of duty and compassion: ordinarily no one would choose to return from embodied heavenly experience, but the sight of loved ones overpowered by Kāla (Time/death) can compel a return—highlighting mortality and the ethical force of responsibility toward others.
Vaiśampāyana explains why a hero who has attained heaven might still come back: he observes many Kurus brought under the dominion of Time and nearing death, and this urgent situation becomes the motive for returning to the human world.