Shloka 7

अर्जुनस्य लक्ष्यवेधः

Arjuna’s Hitting of the Target at the Svayaṃvara

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठ उवाच एवमुक्तास्तत: सर्वे राजानस्ते तमूरुजम्‌ । ऊचुः प्रसीदेति तदा प्रसादं च चकार स:

Transliteration

Vasiṣṭha uvāca: evam uktās tataḥ sarve rājānas te tam ūrūjam | ūcuḥ prasīdeti tadā prasādaṃ ca cakāra saḥ ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha said: Thus addressed, all those kings then spoke to that descendant of Uru, saying, “Be gracious; be pleased.” Hearing their humble appeal, he relented and showed them favor—restoring to them the light of their eyes.

Word by Word

• {'evam': 'thus, in this manner', 'uktāḥ': 'having been spoken to

• addressed (past passive participle)', 'tataḥ': 'then, thereafter', 'sarve': 'all', 'rājānaḥ': 'kings', 'te': 'they/those', 'tam': 'him (accusative singular)', 'ūrūjam': 'descendant of Uru

• Aurva (a patronymic/lineage-based epithet)', 'ūcuḥ': 'they said (perfect/preterite of √vac)', 'prasīda': 'be pleased

• be gracious (imperative of √sad with pra-)', 'iti': 'thus (quotative particle)', 'tadā': 'at that time', 'prasādam': 'favor, grace, appeasement', 'ca': 'and', 'cakāra': 'did, made (perfect of √kṛ)', 'saḥ': 'he'}

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Aurva (ūrūja)
• kings (rājānaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when one possesses formidable spiritual power, the dharmic response to sincere repentance and respectful entreaty is compassion. The kings’ humble request (“prasīda”) becomes the occasion for grace rather than retaliation.

What is happening in the narrative?

After being addressed, the assembled kings bow and ask Aurva (called ūrūja) to be pleased. He accepts their submission and grants them favor—described in the tradition as restoring the light of their eyes.