Shloka 20
अर्जुनस्य इन्द्रकीलगमनम् तथा शक्रसाक्षात्कारः
Arjuna’s journey to Indrakīla and encounter with Indra
हंसकारण्डवोदगीता: सारसाभिरुतास्तथा । पुंस्कोकिलरुताश्चैव क्रौज्चबर्हिणनादिता:,हंस, कारण्डव तथा सारस आदि पक्षी वहाँ मीठी बोली बोलते थे। तटवर्ती वृक्षोंपर कोयल मनोहर शब्द बोल रही थी। क्रौंचेके कलरव और मयूरोंकी केकाध्वनि भी वहाँ सब ओर गूँजती रहती थी
haṃsakāraṇḍavodgītāḥ sārasābhirutāstathā | puṃskokilarutāścaiva krauñcabārhiṇanāditāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “There, swans and kāraṇḍava-ducks sang sweetly; cranes too called out. Male cuckoos poured forth their melodious notes, and the cries of krauñca-birds along with the peacocks’ resonant calls echoed all around.” The verse paints a serene, dharmic atmosphere—nature’s harmony framing the forest setting as a place of respite and reflection amid the epic’s hardships.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not state a direct moral injunction; its teaching is implicit: harmony in nature and a tranquil environment support steadiness of mind, reflection, and dharmic endurance—especially significant in the forest-exile context of the epic.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana describes a forest scene filled with the calls of swans, ducks, cranes, cuckoos, krauñca-birds, and peacocks, establishing the setting’s serenity and beauty.