Shloka 4
Droṇācārya’s Assessment of the Pāṇḍavas: Nīti, Kāla, and Intelligence (विराटपर्व, अध्याय २६)
अस्य वर्षस्य शेषं चेद् व्यतीयुरिह पाण्डवा: । निवृत्तसमयास्ते हि सत्यव्रतपरायणा:,“यदि शेष समय भी पाण्डव इसी प्रकार यहाँ व्यतीत कर लें, तो वे प्रतिज्ञापालनके भारसे मुक्त हो जायँगे। फिर तो वे सत्यव्रती पाण्डव मदकी धारा बहानेवाले गजराजों और विषधर सर्पोके समान क्रोधमें भरकर निश्चय ही कौरवोंके लिये दुःखदायी हो जायूँगे
asya varṣasya śeṣaṃ ced vyatīyur iha pāṇḍavāḥ | nivṛttasamayās te hi satyavrataparāyaṇāḥ |
ไวศัมปายนะกล่าวว่า— หากเหล่าปาณฑพใช้เวลาที่เหลือของปีนี้อยู่ที่นี่ในลักษณะเดิม วาระที่กำหนดไว้ก็จะครบถ้วน; เพราะพวกเขามั่นคงในสัตย์ปฏิญาณ
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as fidelity to one’s pledged word: the Pāṇḍavas are portrayed as satyavrata—committed to truth and vow-keeping—so that once the stipulated term is completed, their subsequent action against wrongdoing becomes ethically grounded rather than impulsive.
Vaiśampāyana reflects that if the Pāṇḍavas successfully spend the remaining part of the year in Virāṭa’s realm without violating the conditions of their exile, their term will be fulfilled; freed from the constraint of the vow, they will then be poised to bring severe trouble upon the Kauravas.