Shloka 18
द्रौपदी-भीमसेनसंवादः
Draupadī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Suffering, Kāla, and Daiva
जिसकी परिघ (लोहदण्ड)-के समान मोटी भुजाएँ प्रत्यण्जा खींचते-खींचते कठोर हो गयी थीं, वही धनंजय आज हाथोंमें शंखकी चूड़ियाँ पहनकर दु:ख भोग रहा है ।।
yasya jyātalanirghoṣāt samakampanta śatravaḥ | striyo gītasvanaṃ tasya muditāḥ paryupāsate ||
Vaiśampāyana said: He whose bowstring’s thunder once made all enemies tremble—today the women of the inner apartments listen with delight to the sound of his singing. Thus Dhanañjaya, famed for martial might, endures the sorrow of concealment and reversal of fortune, bearing humiliation for the sake of dharma and the pledged conditions of exile.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic endurance: even the mightiest warrior accepts concealment and apparent dishonor when duty and a vowed condition require it. True strength includes self-restraint and fidelity to one’s pledge, not merely battlefield prowess.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ incognito year in Virāṭa’s kingdom, Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) lives in disguise, associated with the women’s quarters and performing arts rather than warfare. The narrator contrasts his former fearsome martial reputation—his bowstring’s roar shaking enemies—with his present role, where palace women happily listen to his singing.