Shloka 8

Śamī-vṛkṣe śastra-nidhāna and Entry into Virāṭa’s Capital (शमीवृक्षे शस्त्रनिधानम्)

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच तामादायार्जुनस्तूर्ण द्रौपदीं गजराडिव । सम्प्राप्प नगराध्याशमवतारयदर्जुन:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन्‌! तब गजराजके समान पराक्रमी अर्जुनने तुरंत ही द्रौपदीको उठा लिया और नगरके निकट पहुँचकर उन्हें कंधेसे उतारा

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | tām ādāyārjunas tūrṇaṃ draupadīṃ gajarāḍ iva | samprāpya nagarādhyāśam avatārayad arjunaḥ ||

Translation

قال فايشَمبايانا: «أيها الملك، عندئذٍ إن أرجونا، السريع القوي كسيّد الفيلة، رفع دراوبدي في الحال. ولما بلغوا مشارف المدينة أنزلها أرجونا عن كتفه، متصرفًا بعجلةٍ مقرونةٍ بالحذر وبعزمٍ على الحماية وسط الخطر.»

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

ताम्her

आदायhaving taken (up)

अर्जुनःArjuna

तूर्णम्quickly

द्रौपदीम्Draupadī

गजराट्elephant-king

इवlike/as

सम्प्राप्यhaving reached

नगराध्वानम्the road/way to the city

अवतारयत्set down / made descend

अर्जुनःArjuna

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Arjuna

Draupadī

nagara (city)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma expressed as immediate protection of the vulnerable: Arjuna responds without delay, using his strength in service of care and safety rather than display.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna lifts and carries Draupadī swiftly, likened to an elephant-lord in power, and upon reaching near the city he sets her down from his shoulder, indicating they have moved from immediate peril toward relative safety.