Shloka 15
द्रौपदी-भीमसेनसंवादः
Draupadī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Suffering, Kāla, and Daiva
वह तरुण वीर अर्जुन, जो अकेले ही रथमें बैठकर सम्पूर्ण मनुष्यों तथा देवताओंपर भी विजय पा चुका है, आज राजा विराटकी कन्याओंको नाचना सिखाता है ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
sa taruṇo vīra arjunaḥ, yo ’kela eva rathasthaḥ samastān manuṣyān devāṃś ca jitavān, sa adya rājño virāṭasya kanyāḥ nṛtyaṃ śikṣayati ||
yo ’tarpayad ameyātmā khāṇḍave jātavedasam |
so ’ntaḥpuragataḥ pārthaḥ kūpe ’gnir iva saṃvṛtaḥ, kuntīnandanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: That youthful hero Arjuna—who, seated alone in his chariot, had conquered all men and even the gods—now teaches the daughters of King Virāṭa to dance. He whose immeasurable spirit once satisfied Jātavedas (Agni) in the Khāṇḍava forest—this very Pārtha, Kuntī’s son, now remains hidden within the inner apartments, like fire enclosed in a well.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Great capability is not always expressed as outward dominance; dharma can require concealment, patience, and disciplined restraint. Arjuna’s hidden state illustrates strategic self-control in service of a larger righteous objective (completing the incognito vow and safeguarding the Pāṇḍavas’ future).
During the Pāṇḍavas’ year of incognito, Arjuna lives in Virāṭa’s palace in a concealed role and teaches dance to the king’s daughters. The narrator contrasts his past feats—victory over men and gods and the Khāṇḍava episode involving Agni—with his present hidden condition, likening him to fire confined in a well.