Shloka 18
Arjuna’s Absence, Bhīma’s Kṣātra-Dharma Appeal, and Bṛhadaśva’s Arrival
Nala-Upākhyāna Begins
स्वैरमुक्ता हापि शरा: पार्थेनामिततेजसा । निर्दोहेयुर्मम सुतान् किं पुनर्मन्युनेरिता:,अमित तेजस्वी अर्जुनके द्वारा स्वेच्छापूर्वक छोड़े हुए बाण भी मेरे पुत्रोंको जलाकर भस्म कर सकते हैं, फिर क्रोधपूर्वक छोड़े हुए बाणोंके लिये तो कहना ही क्या है?
svairamuktā api śarāḥ pārthenāmitatejasā | nirdāheyuḥ mama sutān kiṃ punaḥ manyuneritāḥ ||
Bahkan anak panah yang dilepaskan dengan santai oleh Partha (Arjuna) yang berkilau tak terukur dapat membakar putra-putraku menjadi abu; apalagi anak panah yang dilepaskan karena amarah!
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked anger magnifies destructive capacity: even restrained power is dangerous, but power driven by wrath becomes catastrophic. The verse also highlights the ethical anxiety of a ruler who foresees the consequences of hostility against a superior warrior.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects fearfully on Arjuna’s prowess, reasoning that if Arjuna’s casually released arrows could incinerate his sons, then arrows shot in anger would be far more devastating—an ominous recognition of the peril facing the Kauravas.