Shloka 1
पाण्डवानां पाञ्चालगमनम्
The Pāṇḍavas’ Journey toward Pāñcāla and News of the Svayaṃvara
अकाल चतुःसप्तरत्यांधेिकशततमो< ध्याय: वसिष्ठजीके अद्भुत क्षमा-बलके आगे विश्वामित्रजीका परा'भव अर्जुन उवाच किंनिमित्तमभूद् वैरं विश्वामित्रवसिष्ठयो: । वसतोराश्रमे दिव्ये शंस न: सर्वमेव तत्,अर्जुनने पूछा--गन्धर्वराज! विश्वामित्र और वसिष्ठ मुनि तो अपने-अपने दिव्य आश्रममें निवास करते हैं, फिर उनमें वैर किस कारण हुआ? ये सब बातें मुझसे कहो
Arjuna uvāca: kiṁ-nimittam abhūd vairaṁ Viśvāmitra-Vasiṣṭhayoḥ? vasator āśrame divye śaṁsa naḥ sarvam eva tat.
Arjuna said: “For what reason did enmity arise between Viśvāmitra and Vasiṣṭha? Though each dwelt in his own divine hermitage, tell us the whole account.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into the roots of conflict: even among revered sages, hostility can arise from causes such as pride, desire for superiority, or competing claims to spiritual authority. It invites reflection on how dharma is tested when power—royal or ascetic—meets restraint and humility.
Arjuna asks the narrator to explain why enmity began between the sages Viśvāmitra and Vasiṣṭha, despite their living in sacred hermitages. This question introduces the well-known episode of their rivalry, typically connected with the contest between royal power and brahmanical/ascetic power.