Shloka 18
अर्जुनस्य इन्द्रकीलगमनम् तथा शक्रसाक्षात्कारः
Arjuna’s journey to Indrakīla and encounter with Indra
सो>तीत्य वनदुर्गाणि संनिकर्षे महागिरे: । शुशुभे हिमवत्पृछे वसमानो<र्जुनस्तदा,पृथ्वीपर फूलोंकी बड़ी भारी वर्षा होने लगी। मेघोंकी घटा घिरकर आकाशमें सब ओर छा गयी। उन दुर्गम वनस्थलियोंको लाँघकर अर्जुन हिमालयके पृष्ठभागमें एक महान् पर्वतके निकट निवास करते हुए शोभा पाने लगे
so ’tītya vanadurgāṇi saṃnikarṣe mahāgireḥ | śuśubhe himavatpṛṣṭhe vasamāno ’rjunas tadā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having crossed those difficult forest fastnesses, Arjuna then took up residence near a great mountain on the back of the Himālaya, and there he shone with a quiet splendor—steadfast in purpose as he moved away from human habitations into a harsher landscape suited to austerity and resolve.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined withdrawal: by crossing perilous forest regions and choosing a remote Himalayan setting, Arjuna embodies steadiness and purposeful austerity—an ethical posture of self-control and commitment to a higher aim rather than comfort.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna traverses difficult forest terrain and then dwells near a great mountain on the Himalayan slopes, where he appears radiant—signaling his transition into a phase of solitude and determined endeavor.