Shloka 4
Uttarā-Pratigrahaṇa and Abhimanyu–Uttarā Vivāha
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 67
ऊचुः प्रणम्य सम्भ्रान्ता: पार्थ कि करवाम ते,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 (प्राणानन्तर्मनोयातान् प्रयाचिष्यामहे वयम् । वयं चार्जुन ते दासा ह्ानुरक्ष्या हनायका: ।। वे सब-के-सब अर्जुनको प्रणाम करके घबराये हुए बोले--'कुन्तीनन्दन! हम आपकी क्या सेवा करें? अर्जुन! हम आपसे हृदयके भीतर छिपे हुए अपने प्राणोंकी रक्षाके लिये याचना करते हैं। हमलोग आपके दास और अनाथ हैं; अतः आपको सदा हमारी रक्षा करनी चाहिये!
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ūcuḥ praṇamya sambhrāntāḥ pārtha kiṃ karavāma te | kṣutpipāsāpariśrāntā videśasthā vicetasaḥ ||
Bowing down in agitation, they said: “O Pārtha, what can we do for you? We are worn out by hunger and thirst, exhausted, and—being in a foreign place—our minds are unsteady.” And they pleaded: “O Arjuna, we beg you to protect our lives, held close within our hearts. We are your servants, without refuge; therefore you should always safeguard us.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical reversal: in defeat and vulnerability, even adversaries seek shelter. It points to the dharmic ideal that power is tested by how one treats the frightened and helpless—protection and restraint can become higher than retaliation.
After the Kaurava force is scattered, some soldiers who had been hiding in the forest come out and approach Arjuna. They bow and, distressed by hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and the anxiety of being in an unfamiliar place, ask what service they can render and implicitly seek his protection.