Shloka 19
Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ
Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit
यच्च ते<न्तर्गतं वीर भयमर्जुनसम्भवम् | तत्रापि विहितो<स्माभिववधोपायो<र्जुनस्य वै
yac ca te ’ntargataṃ vīra bhayam arjuna-sambhavam | tatrāpi vihito ’smābhir vadhopāyo ’rjunasya vai ||
বৈশম্পায়ন বললেন—হে বীর, তোমার অন্তরে অর্জুন-জনিত যে ভয় বাসা বেঁধেছে, তাও ত্যাগ করো; কারণ অর্জুন-বধের উপায়ও আমরা স্থির করে রেখেছি।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear is addressed through counsel and planning: the speaker urges the listener to abandon fear by claiming that a concrete strategy has been arranged. Ethically, it also reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between pragmatic power-politics (removing a threat by killing) and the broader dharmic scrutiny such intentions invite.
Vaiśampāyana reports a reassurance given to a “hero” who fears Arjuna. The reassurance is blunt: the fear should be removed because “we” have already prepared a plan to kill Arjuna, presenting Arjuna not as an invincible protector but as a target within a larger scheme.