Shloka 19
Khāṇḍava-dāha: Indra’s Countermeasures and the Nāga Aśvasena’s Escape (आदि पर्व, अध्याय २१८)
कृतमेव तु कल्याणं सर्व मम भवेद् ध्रुवम् यदि स्यान्मम वार्ष्णेयी महिषीयं स्वसा तव,सखे! यदि यह वृष्णिकुलकी कुमारी और आपकी बहिन सुभद्रा मेरी रानी हो सके तो निश्चय ही मेरा समस्त कल्याणमय मनोरथ पूर्ण हो जाय
kṛtam eva tu kalyāṇaṃ sarvaṃ mama bhaved dhruvam | yadi syān mama vārṣṇeyī mahiṣīyaṃ svasā tava, sakhe ||
Arjuna said: “Indeed, all my welfare would be firmly accomplished, if your sister Subhadrā—born in the Vṛṣṇi line—could become my queen, my wedded consort, O friend. Such a union would fulfill my auspicious purpose.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how personal desire is framed within auspiciousness and social order: Arjuna presents marriage to Subhadrā not merely as attraction but as a dharmically meaningful alliance—seeking a legitimate, stabilizing union that promises ‘kalyāṇa’ (well-being) and certainty (dhruva) for his life and lineage.
Arjuna addresses his close friend (implicitly Kṛṣṇa) and expresses that his highest good will be secured if Subhadrā—Kṛṣṇa’s sister and a Vṛṣṇi princess—can become his chief queen. It is a direct articulation of intent to marry Subhadrā, setting up the subsequent events surrounding their union.