Mahabharata 4.47.5 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 47, Shloka 5
कालविभाग-निरूपणं तथा युद्धव्यवस्था
Time-Reckoning and Mobilization Counsel
अनिवत्ते तु निर्वासे यदि बीभत्सुरागत: । पुनर्द्घादेश वर्षाणि बने वत्स्यन्ति पाण्डवा:
anivṛtte tu nirvāse yadi bībhatsur āgataḥ | punar dvy-ādaśa varṣāṇi vane vatsyanti pāṇḍavāḥ ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا—اگر جلاوطنی کی مدت پوری ہونے سے پہلے بیبھتسو (ارجن) ظاہر ہو جائے، تو پاندَووں کو پھر بارہ برس جنگل میں رہنا پڑے گا۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharma as strict fidelity to agreed terms: even an early return that violates the exile’s conditions brings renewed hardship. Ethical life here is framed as accountability—actions have binding consequences, and vows/conditions must be honored precisely.
Vaiśampāyana states a conditional rule: if Arjuna (Bībhatsu) comes back before the exile period is properly completed, the Pāṇḍavas would have to undergo another full twelve-year forest exile, indicating the seriousness of the exile’s stipulations.
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