Shloka 3
Dhanañjaya-viraha-śoka and the Resolve to Enter Gandhamādana (धनंजय-विरह-शोकः गन्धमादन-प्रवेश-संकल्पश्च)
तन्मे दहति गात्राणि तूलराशिमिवानल: । यच्च वीरं न पश्यामि धनंजयमुपान्तिकात्,इतना प्रयास करनेपर भी मैं वीर धनंजयको जो अबतक अपने समीप नहीं देख पा रहा हूँ, इसकी चिन्ता मेरे सम्पूर्ण अंगोंको उसी प्रकार दग्ध कर रही है, जैसे आग रूईके ढेरको जलाती रहती है
tan me dahati gātrāṇi tūlarāśim ivānalaḥ | yac ca vīraṃ na paśyāmi dhanañjayam upāntikāt ||
这忧惧灼烧我的四肢，如烈火吞噬一堆棉絮：纵使我竭尽全力，仍不见英雄檀那阇耶（阿周那）在我近旁。那位承载我等希望之人的缺席，在我心中燃烧，使对法义与安危的忧思化作吞噬一切的内火。
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how responsibility and attachment to a righteous cause can manifest as intense inner suffering: a leader’s concern for the safety and presence of a key ally becomes a consuming ‘fire.’ It implicitly teaches vigilance, the weight of dharma-bound leadership, and the emotional cost of depending on the virtuous and capable.
Yudhiṣṭhira speaks in distress that, despite efforts, he still does not see Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) close by. His worry is compared to fire rapidly burning cotton, conveying urgency and the critical importance of Arjuna’s presence for their situation in the forest narrative.