Shloka 19
Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ
Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit
यच्च ते<न्तर्गतं वीर भयमर्जुनसम्भवम् | तत्रापि विहितो<स्माभिववधोपायो<र्जुनस्य वै,वीर! आपके भीतर जो अर्जुनका भय समाया हुआ है, वह भी निकाल देना चाहिये; क्योंकि हमलोगोंने अर्जुनके वधका उपाय भी कर लिया है
yac ca te ’ntargataṃ vīra bhayam arjuna-sambhavam | tatrāpi vihito ’smābhir vadhopāyo ’rjunasya vai ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O hero, the fear of Arjuna that has taken root within you should be cast out. For even with regard to him, we have already devised a means for Arjuna’s killing.”
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.