Shloka 37
Kubera’s Arrival and the Disclosure of Agastya’s Curse
Vaiśaṃpāyana–Janamejaya Narrative
प्रत्यदृश्यद् गदाहस्त: सवज्र इव वासव: । सो<पश्यद् भ्रातरौ तत्र द्रौपदीं च यशस्विनीम्,“भारत! हम विजयी हों या मारे जाय, सभी दशाओंमें उत्तम गति प्राप्त कर सकते हैं। यदि इस राक्षसके जीते-जी सूर्य डूब गये, तो मैं फिर कभी अपनेको क्षत्रिय नहीं कहूँगा। अरे ओ निशाचर! खड़ा रह, मैं पाण्डुकुमार सहदेव हूँ, या तो तू मुझे मारकर द्रौपदीको ले जा या स्वयं मेरे हाथों मारा जाकर आज यहीं सदाके लिये सो जा।' माद्रीनन्दन सहदेव जब ऐसी बात कह रहे थे, उसी समय अकस्मात् गदा हाथमें लिये भीमसेन दिखायी दिये, मानो वज्रधारी इन्द्र आ पहुँचे हों। उन्होंने वहाँ (राक्षसके अधिकारमें पड़े हुए) अपने दोनों भाइयों तथा यशस्विनी द्रौपदीको देखा
pratyadṛśyad gadāhastaḥ savajra iva vāsavaḥ | so 'paśyad bhrātarau tatra draupadīṃ ca yaśasvinīm ||
Vaiśampāyana said: At that moment Bhīmasena suddenly came into view, mace in hand, like Vāsava (Indra) bearing the thunderbolt. There he saw his two brothers and the illustrious Draupadī. The scene underscores the Kṣatriya ethic of protection: when kin and a woman under one’s charge are threatened, decisive courage and timely intervention become a form of dharma in action.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as protective responsibility: strength and readiness are ethically meaningful when directed toward safeguarding one’s kin and the threatened Draupadī. Bhīma’s Indra-like arrival symbolizes righteous power arriving at the critical moment.
As the confrontation escalates (with Sahadeva’s defiant resolve in the surrounding context), Bhīma suddenly appears holding his mace, compared to Indra with the vajra, and he sees his two brothers and Draupadī in the danger zone.