Shloka 15
द्रौपदी-भीमसेनसंवादः
Draupadī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Suffering, Kāla, and Daiva
वह तरुण वीर अर्जुन, जो अकेले ही रथमें बैठकर सम्पूर्ण मनुष्यों तथा देवताओंपर भी विजय पा चुका है, आज राजा विराटकी कन्याओंको नाचना सिखाता है ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
sa taruṇo vīra arjunaḥ, yo ’kela eva rathasthaḥ samastān manuṣyān devāṃś ca jitavān, sa adya rājño virāṭasya kanyāḥ nṛtyaṃ śikṣayati ||
yo ’tarpayad ameyātmā khāṇḍave jātavedasam |
so ’ntaḥpuragataḥ pārthaḥ kūpe ’gnir iva saṃvṛtaḥ, kuntīnandanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Arjuna, wira muda yang duduk seorang diri di atas rata perangnya dan telah menaklukkan seluruh manusia, bahkan para dewa, kini mengajar puteri-puteri Raja Virāṭa menari. Dia yang berjiwa tak terukur, yang pernah memuaskan Jātavedas (Agni) di rimba Khāṇḍava—Pārtha, putera Kuntī itu sendiri—kini bersembunyi di dalam istana dalam, bagaikan api yang terkurung di dalam perigi.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Great capability is not always expressed as outward dominance; dharma can require concealment, patience, and disciplined restraint. Arjuna’s hidden state illustrates strategic self-control in service of a larger righteous objective (completing the incognito vow and safeguarding the Pāṇḍavas’ future).
During the Pāṇḍavas’ year of incognito, Arjuna lives in Virāṭa’s palace in a concealed role and teaches dance to the king’s daughters. The narrator contrasts his past feats—victory over men and gods and the Khāṇḍava episode involving Agni—with his present hidden condition, likening him to fire confined in a well.