Shloka 7
कुन्तीनिवर्तनप्रयत्नः तथा वननिवासप्रारम्भः
Attempt to Dissuade Kuntī; Commencement of Forest Residence
६ ।। यस्त्वेष पाश्वेंडस्य महाधनुष्मान् श्यामो युवा वारणयूथपाभ: । सिंहोन्नतांसो गजखेलगामी पद्मायताक्षोअर्जुन एष वीर:
yastveṣa pārśvendrasya mahādhanuṣmān śyāmo yuvā vāraṇayūthapābhaḥ | siṃhonnatāṃso gajakelagāmī padmāyatākṣo 'rjuna eṣa vīraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “And this one beside the lord—dark-hued, a youthful hero bearing a mighty bow—appears like the leader of an elephant herd. With shoulders raised like a lion’s and moving with the proud, unhurried gait of a great elephant, this lotus-eyed warrior is Arjuna.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models epic ethical admiration: true martial excellence is portrayed not merely as strength but as composed dignity—steadiness, self-control, and noble bearing—symbolized through lion-like shoulders and an elephant-leader’s gait.
Sañjaya identifies and praises Arjuna by vivid similes, pointing him out as a youthful, dark-hued master archer whose presence resembles a lion in stature and an elephant leader in majesty and movement.