Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 31 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Instructions to Sañjaya
Peace Appeal and Five-Village Proposal
अजातगशशभत्रुस्तु विहाय पाप॑ं जीर्णा त्वचं सर्प इवासमर्थाम् । विरोचतेडहार्यवृत्तेन वीरो युधिष्ठिरस्त्वयि पापं विसृज्य
sañjaya uvāca | ajātaśatruḥ tu vihāya pāpaṃ jīrṇāṃ tvacaṃ sarpa ivāsamarthām | virocate dhārya-vṛttena vīro yudhiṣṭhiras tvayi pāpaṃ visṛjya ||
三阇耶说道:他已舍弃罪垢——如蛇蜕去那已朽旧、再也不能贴附身躯的皮——“无生怨者”英勇的坚战(Yudhiṣṭhira)遂光辉焕发。将过失的重担任其落在你身上,而回归自身坚定的正道行持,他以本然的德性显得格外灿然。
संजय उवाच
Moral clarity and steadfast right conduct make a person ‘shine’; wrongdoing should be renounced rather than carried forward, and ethical integrity is portrayed as a natural radiance restored when sin is cast off.
Sañjaya describes Yudhiṣṭhira’s renewed moral brilliance: he has abandoned ‘pāpa’ and, by placing the blame/burden of wrongdoing upon the addressed party (‘tvayi’), stands out in his own upholdable righteous conduct, compared to a serpent shedding an old skin.