Shloka 15
हस्ताद्धि रश्मयश्चास्य प्रतोद: प्रापतद् भुवि । असकृच्चाह मां भीत: क्यासीति भरतर्षभ,उनके हाथसे घोड़ोंके लगाम और चाबुक पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े और वे भयभीत होकर बार-बार मुझसे पूछने लगे--“भरतश्रेष्ठ अर्जुन! तुम कहाँ हो?”
hastāddhi raśmayaścāsya pratodaḥ prāpatad bhuvi | asakṛccāha māṃ bhītaḥ kyāsīti bharatarṣabha ||
Arjuna said: “From his hand the reins slipped, and his whip fell to the ground. Terrified, he kept calling out to me again and again, ‘O bull among the Bharatas—Arjuna—where are you?’”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological truth: fear can cause loss of control even in practical matters, and in danger one naturally seeks refuge in a reliable protector or companion. It implicitly values steadiness and the duty of support among allies.
A frightened person loses grip of the horse’s reins and drops the whip; in panic he repeatedly calls out to Arjuna, addressing him honorifically as ‘bharatarṣabha,’ asking where he is.