Shloka 15
पाण्डवानां पाञ्चालगमनम्
The Pāṇḍavas’ Journey toward Pāñcāla and News of the Svayaṃvara
पुष्टायतशिरोग्रीवां विस्मित: सो5भिवीक्ष्य ताम् । अभिनन्द्य स तां राजा नन्दिनीं गाधिनन्दन:,उसके सिर और गर्दन विस्तृत एवं पुष्ट थे। उसका नाम नन्दिनी था। उसे देखकर विस्मित हुए गाधिनन्दन विश्वामित्रने उसका अभिनन्दन किया
puṣṭāyataśirogrīvāṁ vismitaḥ so ’bhivīkṣya tām | abhinandya sa tāṁ rājā nandinīṁ gādhinandanaḥ ||
Seeing her—whose head and neck were broad and well-nourished—the king Viśvāmitra, Gādhi’s descendant, gazed in astonishment. Then he greeted and praised her; her name was Nandinī.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
Admiration for excellence should remain grounded in restraint and respect; the verse sets up an ethical tension where a ruler’s response to a wondrous being can reveal whether he follows dharma or slips into possessiveness.
The Gandharva narrator describes Viśvāmitra seeing Nandinī, noting her impressive physical features, becoming astonished, and then greeting/praising her by name—an introductory moment before the larger conflict around her significance unfolds.