Arjuna retrieves a Brahmana's stolen cattle to uphold dharma
A Brahmana whose cattle have been stolen arrives at the Pandavas' gate, weeping and accusing them of failing in their royal duty. Arjuna hears the plea but faces an impossible choice: to help, he must enter the room where Yudhishthira is with Draupadi, violating their brothers' strict agreement and incurring a twelve-year exile.
The agreement was clear. The five Pandava brothers, sharing Draupadi as their wife, had established a rule to prevent jealousy: if one of them was alone with her in their private chamber, none of the others could enter. The penalty for breaking this rule was exile in the forest for twelve years. They lived by this compact, and their kingdom, Khandavaprastha, prospered.
Then the Brahmana arrived.
He was furious, his wealth stolen. Thieves had taken his cattle — the very foundation of his livelihood and his ability to perform sacrifices. He came to the Pandavas' capital and stood at their door, his voice sharp with accusation.
"O Pandavas! Mean, cruel, and mindless thieves are forcibly robbing me of my wealth of cattle in your kingdom. Pursue them!" He framed it as a collapse of the natural order. "The sacrificial offerings of a peaceful brahmana are being carried away by crows. The inferior jackal has invaded the deserted cave of a tiger. A brahmana’s riches are being taken away by thieves. Dharma and artha (righteousness and prosperity) will be destroyed. I am crying for help. Take up your arms."
Arjuna heard the wailing. The mighty-armed warrior told the Brahmana not to fear. But then he faced the wall of their agreement. Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, the eldest brother and king, was at that moment in the private room with Draupadi. The brothers' weapons were also kept in that room. To take up arms and pursue the thieves, Arjuna would have to enter.
He stood frozen, the Brahmana's desperate pleas pressing on one side, the unbreakable rule on the other.
He reflected in sorrow. "This ascetic brahmana’s riches are being robbed. It is certainly my duty to dry his tears. If I do not protect someone who is weeping at our door, the great adharma (unrighteousness) of negligence will taint the king." The failure to protect a subject in distress would be a sin that echoed in all the worlds. Yet, entering the room without Yudhishthira's permission meant breaking his word and accepting exile. "There will either be great adharma or death in the forest. But dharma must be upheld, even if there is destruction of the body."
His decision was swift. Dharma came first.
Arjuna entered the room, took the king's permission, grasped his bow, and told the Brahmana, "Let us go quickly, so that those mean thieves do not go too far away and I can return your riches to you, from the hands of the robbers."
He mounted his chariot, pursued the thieves, pierced them with arrows, and recovered every head of cattle. He returned the entire wealth to the Brahmana, drying his tears and upholding the king's duty. Fame followed the act.
Then Arjuna returned to Yudhishthira. He paid homage to his elders and was praised. Then he stated the consequence. "O, lord! Grant me permission to observe my vow. On seeing you, I have violated the rule and I must go and dwell in the forest, because that is the rule we made."
Yudhishthira was stricken with grief. He tried to dissuade his brother. "I know all the reasons why you entered the room... I have not felt any injury. There is no sin if a younger brother enters where the elder brother is lying with his wife... Your dharma has not suffered and no injury has been done to me."
Arjuna's reply was firm, grounded in the very concept of dharma Yudhishthira had taught him. "I have also heard from you that dharma must not be observed through pretences. I will not waver from the truth. The truth is my weapon."
With the king's permission, he performed the rites of consecration for brahmacharya (celibate student life) and left for the forest. His exile for upholding a promise would last twelve years.