Shloka 13
Uttarā-Pratigrahaṇa and Abhimanyu–Uttarā Vivāha
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 67
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! विजयशील अर्जुन पूर्वोक्तरूपसे शत्रुसेनाको परास्त करके कौरवोंके हाथसे सारा गोधन छीन लेनेके बाद पुनः श्मशानभूमिमें उसी शमीवृक्षके समीप आकर खड़े हुए। उस समय उनके सभी अंग बाणोंके आघातसे क्षत- विक्षत हो रहे थे ।। ततः स वल्रलिप्रतिमो महाकपि: सहैव भूतैर्दिवमुत्पपात । तथैव माया विहिता बभूव ध्वजं च सैंहं युयुजे रथे पुन:,क्षुत्पिपासापरिश्रान्ता विदेशस्था विचेतस: । जब कौरव-दलके लोग चले गये या इधर-उधर सब दिशाओंमें भाग गये, उस समय बहुत-से कौरवसैनिक जो घने जंगलमें छिपे हुए थे, वहाँसे निकलकर डरते-डरते अर्जुनके पास आये। उनके मनमें भय समा गया था। वे भूखे-प्यासे और थके-माँदे थे। परदेशमें होनेके कारण उनके हृदयकी व्याकुलता और बढ़ गयी थी। वे उस समय केश खोले और हाथ जोड़े हुए खड़े दिखायी दिये तदनन्तर वह अग्निके समान तेजस्वी महावानर ध्वजनिवासी भूतगणोंके साथ आकाशमें उड़ गया। उसी प्रकार ध्वजसहित वह दैवी माया भी विलीन हो गयी और अर्जुनके रथमें फिर वही सिंहध्वज लगा दिया गया
vaiśampāyana uvāca— janamejaya! vijayaśīlo 'rjunaḥ pūrvoktarūpeṇa śatrusenāṃ parājitya kauravahastāt sarvaṃ godhanaṃ apahṛtya punaḥ śmaśānabhūmau tasyā eva śamīvṛkṣasya samīpe sthitavān. tasmin kāle tasya sarvāṅgāni bāṇāghātaiḥ kṣata-vikṣatāni babhūvuḥ. tataḥ sa valrīpratimo mahākapiḥ sahaiva bhūtair divam utpapāta; tathaiva māyā vihitā babhūva, dhvajaṃ ca saiṃhaṃ yuyuje rathe punaḥ. atha kauravadalajanāḥ gateṣu vā diśo diśaṃ palāyiteṣu vā, ye kecit kauravasainikā gahanaṃ vanaṃ praviśya nilīnā āsan, te bhītā bhītā arjunam upāgaman. teṣāṃ hṛdaye bhayaṃ samāviśat; kṣutpipāsā-pariśrāntāḥ, videśasthāḥ, vicetasaḥ, keśān visṛjya añjaliṃ kṛtvā sthitā babhūvuḥ.
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Janamejaya, victorious Arjuna—having routed the enemy host as described earlier and having recovered the entire herd of cattle from the Kauravas—returned again to the cremation-ground and stood near that very śamī tree. At that time his limbs were torn and wounded by the blows of arrows. Then the mighty ape, blazing like fire, who had been dwelling upon the banner, sprang up into the sky together with the attendant spirits; and the divine illusion that had been arranged likewise vanished. In its place the lion-banner was once more fixed upon Arjuna’s chariot. When the Kaurava troops had departed or scattered in flight in all directions, many Kaurava soldiers who had been hiding in the dense forest came out and approached Arjuna, trembling with fear. Hunger, thirst, and exhaustion had overcome them; being in a foreign land, their anxiety only increased. With loosened hair and folded hands they stood before him—an image of defeat that calls for restraint and discernment in victory.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharma in victory: even when triumphant, a warrior-hero must remain disciplined and discerning. The defeated—hungry, exhausted, and fearful—stand in supplication, and the ethical test is whether power is used with restraint rather than cruelty.
After defeating the Kaurava force and recovering the cattle, Arjuna returns to the cremation-ground near the śamī tree. Hanumān, who had been on Arjuna’s banner, departs skyward with attendant spirits; the miraculous manifestation ends, and the lion-banner is restored. Scattered Kaurava soldiers emerge from hiding and approach Arjuna in fear, weakened by hunger and fatigue, standing with folded hands.