Shloka 2
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 181 — Svayaṃvara Aftermath: Arjuna–Karna Exchange and Bhīma–Śalya Contest
जानता वै परं धर्म वसिष्ठेन महात्मना । अगम्यागमनं कस्मात् कृतं तेन महर्षिणा,तथा उत्तम धर्मके ज्ञाता महात्मा महर्षि वसिष्ठने यह परस्त्रीगमनका पाप कैसे किया?
jānatā vai paraṃ dharmaṃ vasiṣṭhena mahātmanā | agamyāgamanam kasmāt kṛtaṃ tena maharṣiṇā ||
Sinabi ni Arjuna: “Si Vasiṣṭha, ang dakilang pantas na may marangal na diwa, ay tunay na nakaaalam ng pinakamataas na dharma. Bakit, kung gayon, ginawa ng maharṣi ang paglapit sa hindi dapat lapitan—isang bawal na paglabag sa pakikipagtalik? Paano nagawang mahulog sa gayong kasalanan ang isang nakauunawa sa sukdulang batas?”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse raises a classic dharma-question: even a knower of the highest moral law may appear to commit a grave transgression, prompting inquiry into context, intention, compulsion, and the complexity of ethical judgment in epic narrative.
Arjuna voices astonishment and doubt: since the sage Vasiṣṭha is renowned as a master of dharma, Arjuna asks why he performed an act described as ‘agamya-āgamanam’—approaching what is forbidden—framing the episode as a moral puzzle that demands explanation.