Shloka 19
Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ
Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit
यच्च ते<न्तर्गतं वीर भयमर्जुनसम्भवम् | तत्रापि विहितो<स्माभिववधोपायो<र्जुनस्य वै,वीर! आपके भीतर जो अर्जुनका भय समाया हुआ है, वह भी निकाल देना चाहिये; क्योंकि हमलोगोंने अर्जुनके वधका उपाय भी कर लिया है
yac ca te ’ntargataṃ vīra bhayam arjuna-sambhavam | tatrāpi vihito ’smābhir vadhopāyo ’rjunasya vai ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi dũng sĩ, nỗi sợ Arjuna đã bén rễ trong lòng ngươi hãy gạt bỏ đi. Bởi ngay đối với hắn, chúng ta cũng đã bày ra kế để giết Arjuna rồi.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear is addressed through counsel and planning: the speaker urges the listener to abandon fear by claiming that a concrete strategy has been arranged. Ethically, it also reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between pragmatic power-politics (removing a threat by killing) and the broader dharmic scrutiny such intentions invite.
Vaiśampāyana reports a reassurance given to a “hero” who fears Arjuna. The reassurance is blunt: the fear should be removed because “we” have already prepared a plan to kill Arjuna, presenting Arjuna not as an invincible protector but as a target within a larger scheme.