Shloka 29
द्रौपदी-भीमसेनसंवादः
Draupadī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Suffering, Kāla, and Daiva
यदा होन॑ परिवृतं कन्याभिदेदेवरूपिणम् । प्रभिन्नमिव मातडूं परिकीर्ण करेणुनि:
yadā haiva parivṛtaṃ kanyābhir devatārūpiṇam | prabhinnam iva mātaṅgaṃ parikīrṇaṃ kareṇubhiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Whenever I see Kuntī’s son Arjuna—assuming a divine-like form—seated amid the sounds of musical instruments and surrounded by maidens in the dance-hall, attending upon Virāṭa, the lord of wealth of the Matsya kingdom, he appears like a great rutting elephant encircled by cow-elephants, with streams flowing from his temples. At that sight my vision reels; darkness seems to fall over my eyes and I lose all sense of direction.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the strain of dharma under concealment: a heroic warrior must accept an outwardly incongruent role to keep a vow and protect a larger righteous aim. It also shows how attachment to social expectations can cause inner disorientation when confronted with a dharmic necessity that overturns appearances.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ incognito year in Virāṭa’s court, Arjuna lives as a dance-and-music teacher in a feminine guise. The speaker describes seeing him seated among instruments and surrounded by maidens while serving King Virāṭa, comparing him to a rutting elephant encircled by cow-elephants, and expresses being overwhelmed and losing composure at the sight.