Shloka 18
Vyāsa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira: Pratismṛti-vidyā, Arjuna’s Aśtra-Quest, and the Move to Kāmyaka
निदेशाद् धर्मराजस्य द्रष्टकाम: पुरंदरम् | धनुर्गाण्डीवमादाय तथाक्षय्ये महेषुधी,धर्मराजकी आज्ञासे देवराज इन्द्रका दर्शन करनेकी इच्छा मनमें रखकर महाबाहु धनंजयने अग्निमें आहुति दी और स्वर्णमुद्राओंकी दक्षिणा देकर ब्राह्मणोंसे स्वस्ति-वाचन कराया तथा गाण्डीव धनुष और दो महान् अक्षय तूणीर साथ ले कवच, तलत्राण (जूते) तथा अंगुलियोंकी रक्षाके लिये गोहके चमड़ेका बना हुआ अंगुलित्र धारण किया। इसके बाद ऊपरकी ओर देख लंबी साँस खींचकर धुृतराष्ट्रपुत्रोंके वधके लिये महाबाहु अर्जुन धनुष हाथमें लिये वहाँसे प्रस्थित हुए
vaiśampāyana uvāca | nideśād dharmarājasya draṣṭukāmaḥ puraṃdaram | dhanur gāṇḍīvam ādāya tathākṣayye maheṣudhī |
Vaiśampāyana said: At the command of Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira), desiring to behold Purandara (Indra), Arjuna took up the Gāṇḍīva bow and also the two great inexhaustible quivers. Acting with disciplined purpose and under righteous instruction, he set out with his weapons and protective gear, intent on securing divine aid for the struggle against the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra—an episode that frames warfare not as personal rage but as a duty pursued under dharma and with reverence toward the gods.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Righteous action is undertaken under dharma: Arjuna’s quest is not self-willed ambition but a disciplined response to Dharmarāja’s instruction, seeking divine support so that force, if used, is aligned with duty and higher moral order.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that, on Yudhiṣṭhira’s command, Arjuna prepares himself—taking the Gāṇḍīva and his inexhaustible quivers—and sets out with the intention of seeing Indra, a step toward obtaining divine assistance for the coming conflict with the Kauravas.