Shloka 2
अजुन उवाच अन्त:पुरेडहमुषित: सदा पश्यन् सुतां तव । रहस्यं च प्रकाशं च विश्वस्ता पितृवन््मयि,अर्जुनने कहा--राजन्! मैं बहुत समयतक आपके रनिवासमें रहा हूँ और आपकी कन्याको एकान्तमें तथा सबके सामने भी (पुत्रीभावसे ही) देखता आया हूँ। उसने भी मुझपर पिताकी भाँति ही विश्वास किया है। मैं नाचता तो था ही, गानविद्यामें भी कुशल हूँ, अतः उसका मेरे प्रति बहुत अधिक प्रेम रहा है, किंतु आपकी पुत्री मुझे सदा आचार्य (गुरु) की भाँति मानती आयी है
arjuna uvāca antaḥpure ’ham uṣitaḥ sadā paśyan sutāṃ tava | rahasyaṃ ca prakāśaṃ ca viśvastā pitṛvan mayi ||
Arjuna said: “O King, I have lived for a long time within your inner apartments, continually seeing your daughter—both in private and in public. She has trusted me as one would trust a father. Though I am skilled in dance and in the art of song, and thus she held great affection toward me, your daughter has always regarded me in the manner of a teacher (guru).”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical boundaries and trust: proximity to the royal women’s quarters is justified only through a relationship framed as paternal or pedagogical. Arjuna emphasizes restraint and propriety (dharma) to protect both the princess’s honor and his own integrity.
Arjuna, living incognito in Virāṭa’s palace, explains to the king that he has long been in the inner quarters and has interacted with the king’s daughter in both private and public settings. He clarifies that her trust in him is fatherly/teacherly, not romantic, despite his role as a performer and instructor in music and dance.