Shloka 12
Puṣkara-Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Phala of Pilgrimage
Nārada–Yudhiṣṭhira; Pulastya–Bhīṣma Transmission
योअर्र्जुनेनार्जुनस्तुल्यो द्विबाहुर्बहुबाहुना । तमृते पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ वन॑ न प्रतिभाति मे,'पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ] जो दो भुजावाले अर्जुन सहस्रबाहु अर्जुनके समान पराक्रमी हैं, उनके बिना यह वन मुझे अच्छा नहीं लगता
yo 'rjunena arjunas tulyo dvibāhur bahubāhunā | tam ṛte pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha vanaṁ na pratibhāti me ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O best of the Pāṇḍavas, this forest does not please me without him—Arjuna of two arms—who is equal in prowess to the many-armed Arjuna (Sahasrabāhu).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how true excellence is recognized through comparison with legendary standards, and how the absence of a virtuous, capable companion can drain even a beautiful setting of its value—suggesting that character and fellowship shape one’s experience more than place.
Vaiśampāyana remarks that the forest feels joyless without Arjuna, praising him as a two-armed hero whose prowess matches that of the famed many-armed Sahasrabāhu Arjuna, thereby emphasizing Arjuna’s importance to the Pāṇḍavas during their forest life.