Shloka 7

Devanagari script

नकुलस्तु तथेत्युक्त्वा शीघ्रमारुह्म पादपम्‌ । अब्रवीद्‌ भ्रातरं ज्येष्ठमभिवीक्ष्य समन्तत:,तब नकुल “बहुत अच्छा” कहकर शीघ्र ही एक पेड़पर चढ़ गये और चारों ओर दृष्टि डालकर अपने बड़े भाईसे बोले--

Transliteration

nakulas tu tathety uktvā śīghram āruhya pādapam | abravīd bhrātaraṁ jyeṣṭham abhivīkṣya samantataḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Nakula, replying “So be it,” quickly climbed a tree. After surveying all directions, he addressed his eldest brother.

Word by Word

नकुलःNakula

तुbut/indeed

तथाthus/so

इतिthus (quotative)

उक्त्वाhaving said

शीघ्रम्quickly

आरुह्यhaving climbed

पादपम्tree

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

भ्रातरम्brother

ज्येष्ठम्eldest

अभिवीक्ष्यhaving looked (around/at)

समन्ततःon all sides

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Nakula

eldest brother (jyeṣṭha-bhrātṛ; likely Yudhiṣṭhira)

tree (pādapa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined action: Nakula promptly follows instruction, gains situational awareness by surveying all directions, and then reports to the elder—an ethical model of obedience, vigilance, and responsible speech.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nakula assents (“tathā”), quickly climbs a tree to get a better view, looks around on all sides, and then speaks to his eldest brother to convey what he has observed.