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 ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道:“若他(阿周那)一旦身亡,那么般遮罗人连同其子嗣、我们般度诸子、萨底耶吉,以及瓦苏提婆之子黑天(克里希那)——都将同归覆灭,毫无疑问。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
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.