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 ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Nếu chàng (Arjuna) mà diệt vong, thì người Pāñcāla cùng con cháu, chính chúng ta—các Pāṇḍava—Sātyaki và Kṛṣṇa, con của Vāsudeva, hết thảy đều sẽ suy vong; điều ấy không còn nghi ngờ.”
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.