Shloka 20
Śamī-vṛkṣe śastra-nidhāna and Entry into Virāṭa’s Capital (शमीवृक्षे शस्त्रनिधानम्)
येन वीर: कुरुक्षेत्रम भ्यरक्षत् परंतप: । अमुज्चद् धनुषस्तस्य ज्यामक्षय्यां युधिछ्ठिर:,परंतप वीर युधिष्छिरने जिसके द्वारा समूचे कुरुक्षेत्रकी रक्षा की थी, उस धनुषकी अक्षय डोरीको उन्होंने भी उतार दिया
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
yena vīraḥ kurukṣetram abhyarakṣat parantapaḥ |
amuñcad dhanuṣas tasya jyām akṣayyāṃ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
毗湿摩耶那说道：优提士提罗也从那张弓上取下不朽的弓弦——昔日那位焚敌的英雄曾凭此守护整个俱卢之野；此举无声地表明，在隐匿之身中，他们将武力暂且搁置。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and weapons are to be governed by dharma and circumstance: even a king-warrior like Yudhiṣṭhira can deliberately set aside martial capability when higher obligations—safety, vows, and the demands of concealment—require restraint.
In the Virāṭa episode, the Pāṇḍavas are living incognito. Here, Yudhiṣṭhira removes the unbreakable bowstring from a famed bow associated with protecting Kurukṣetra, effectively disabling it for the moment and signaling a temporary withdrawal from open warfare.