Shloka 16
Indraprastha Prosperity and the Arjuna–Kṛṣṇa Yamunā Excursion (इन्द्रप्रस्थ-वैभवम् तथा यमुनाविहारः)
तां ददर्श पुरे तस्मिन् विचरन्तीं यदृच्छया । दृष्टवा च तां वरारोहां चकमे चैत्रवाहनीम्,उस नगरमें विचरण करती हुई उस सुन्दर अंगोंवाली चित्रवाहनकुमारीको अकस्मात् देखकर अर्जुनके मनमें उसे प्राप्त करनेकी अभिलाषा हुई
tāṃ dadarśa pure tasmin vicarantīṃ yadṛcchayā | dṛṣṭvā ca tāṃ varārohāṃ cakame citravāhanīm ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: En aquella ciudad, por azar vio a la princesa Citravāhanī vagando de un lado a otro. Al contemplar a esa doncella de miembros nobles y hermosos, nació en el corazón de Arjuna el deseo de ganarla para sí—episodio que pone en marcha cuestiones sobre el matrimonio legítimo, el consentimiento y el ordenamiento dhármico de las alianzas.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a chance encounter can ignite desire, which then must be guided by dharma—especially regarding marriage and alliance-making—so that personal attraction is integrated into socially and ethically sanctioned conduct.
In a certain city, the narrator says that the princess Citravāhanī is seen wandering by chance; upon seeing her beauty, the observer becomes enamored and wishes to obtain her, initiating the next steps of the marriage-related storyline.