Shloka 20
उवाच मध्ये वीराणां कुन्तीपुत्रं धनंजयम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | uvāca madhye vīrāṇāṃ kuntīputraṃ dhanañjayam | tadanantaraṃ vīro ’ṅke madhye upaviśya tam uvāca— “pāṇḍunandana! yadi tvaṃ bhītaḥ asi, tarhi ahaṃ yuddhe tava sahāyatārthaṃ samupāgataḥ | asmin mahāyuddhe ahaṃ tāṃ tava sahāyāṃ kariṣyāmi yā tava śatrūṇāṃ asahyā bhaviṣyati” ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Au milieu des héros assemblés, le vaillant s’assit parmi eux et s’adressa à Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), fils de Kuntī : « Ô fils de Pāṇḍu, si la crainte s’est levée en toi, je suis venu te secourir au combat. Dans cette grande guerre, je t’apporterai une aide telle qu’elle sera insupportable à tes ennemis. »
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical duty of standing by an ally in crisis: fear is acknowledged without ridicule, and the response is a pledge of steadfast support that strengthens resolve and upholds kṣatriya-dharma in the face of war.
In the assembly of warriors, a heroic figure approaches and addresses Arjuna directly, saying that if Arjuna is afraid, he has come specifically to help him in the coming great war, promising aid so formidable that it will be intolerable to Arjuna’s enemies.