Shloka 3

अर्जुनस्य निवातकवचवधाय नियोगः

Arjuna’s commissioning for the Nivātakavacas

Devanagari script

त॑ पादपै: पुष्पधरैरुपेतं नगोत्तमं प्राप्प महारथानाम्‌ | मनः:प्रसाद: परमो बभूव यथा दिवं प्राप्प मरुदगणानाम्‌,वह श्रेष्ठ पर्वत विकसित वृक्षावलियोंसे विभूषित था। वहाँ पहुँच जानेसे महारथी पाण्डवोंके मनमें बड़ी प्रसन्नता रहने लगी। ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे मरुद्गणोंको स्वर्गलोकमें पहुँचनेपर प्रसन्नता होती है

Transliteration

taṁ pādapaiḥ puṣpadharair upetaṁ nagottamaṁ prāpuḥ mahārathānām | manaḥ-prasādaḥ paramo babhūva yathā divaṁ prāpuḥ marud-gaṇānām ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Den erhabensten der Berge, geschmückt mit blühenden Bäumen, erreichten jene großen Wagenkämpfer. Als sie dort ankamen, erhob sich in den Herzen der Pāṇḍavas höchste Heiterkeit und Ruhe — wie die Freude der Scharen der Maruts, wenn sie den Himmel erlangen.

Word by Word

• {'taṁ': 'that (accusative singular

• referring to the mountain)', 'pādapaiḥ': "with trees (lit. 'drinkers of the foot/root')", 'puṣpadharaiḥ': 'bearing flowers

• flowering', 'upetam': 'endowed with

• adorned with', 'nagottamam': 'the best of mountains (naga + uttama)', 'prāpuḥ': 'they reached

• they attained', 'mahārathānām': 'of the great chariot-warriors (here, the Pāṇḍavas)', 'manaḥ-prasādaḥ': 'clarity/serenity of mind

• inner gladness', 'paramaḥ': 'supreme

• highest', 'babhūva': 'arose

• came to be', 'yathā': 'just as', 'divam': 'heaven

• the celestial world', 'marud-gaṇānām': 'of the companies/hosts of the Maruts (storm-gods)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍavas
• nagottama (a foremost mountain)
• Maruts (Marud-gaṇa)
• diva (heaven)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how contact with a pure, beautiful, and elevated place can calm and clarify the mind (manaḥ-prasāda). It suggests an ethical-spiritual ideal: even amid hardship (the Pāṇḍavas’ forest life), one should cultivate inner serenity and receptivity to uplifting environments.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that the Pāṇḍavas, described as great chariot-warriors, arrive at a splendid mountain covered with flowering trees. Reaching it fills them with profound joy and peace, likened to the Maruts’ delight on entering heaven.