Shloka 7
Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)
यस्मिन् विनष्टे पाड्चाला: सह पुत्रैस्तथा वयम् | सात्यकिर्वासुदेवश्च विनश्येयुर्न संशय:,“यदि कहीं अर्जुनका नाश हुआ तो पुत्रोंसहित पांचाल, हम पाण्डव, सात्यकि और वसुदेवनन्दन श्रीकृष्ण--ये सब-के-सब नष्ट हो जायँगे
yasmin vinaṣṭe pāñcālāḥ saha putraistathā vayam | sātyakir vāsudevaś ca vinaśyeyur na saṁśayaḥ ||
जर अर्जुनाचा नाश झाला, तर पुत्रांसह पाञ्चाल, आम्ही पांडव, सात्यकि आणि वासुदेवनंदन श्रीकृष्ण—हे सर्वच नष्ट होतील; यात संशय नाही.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical and strategic interdependence of dharmic allies: the fall of a pivotal protector (Arjuna) would trigger the collapse of the wider coalition—Pāñcālas, Pāṇḍavas, Sātyaki, and even Kṛṣṇa’s mission—highlighting responsibility toward safeguarding key agents of righteousness.
Vaiśampāyana reports a grave assessment: Arjuna’s potential destruction is portrayed as a decisive turning point that would doom the allied forces. The statement heightens narrative tension by stressing how central Arjuna is to the survival and success of the Pāṇḍava-led cause.