Shloka 7

Kāmyake Pāṇḍavānāṃ Bhojana-vyavasthā

Provisioning and Welfare in the Kāmyaka Forest

Devanagari script

लोमश मुनिके संकल्पको जानकर वृत्रहन्ता शचीपति इन्द्रने हँसते हुए उनसे कहा -- [६ ।। ब्रह्मर्षे श्रूयतां यत्‌ ते मनसैतद्‌ विवक्षितम्‌ | नायं केवलमर्त्यों वै मानुषत्वमुपागत:,“ब्रह्मर्ष] आपके मनमें जो प्रश्न उठा है” उसका समाधान कर रहा हूँ, सुनिये। ये अर्जुन मानवयोनिमें उत्पन्न हुए केवल मरणधर्मा मनुष्य नहीं हैं

Transliteration

brahmarṣe śrūyatāṃ yat te manasaitad vivakṣitam | nāyaṃ kevalamartyo vai mānuṣatvam upāgataḥ ||

Translation

Indra, el matador de Vṛtra y señor de Śacī, sonriendo, dijo a Lomaśa: «Oh brahmarṣi, escucha aquello que deseas preguntar en tu mente. Este Arjuna no es meramente un mortal que solo ha tomado nacimiento humano.»

Word by Word

• {'brahmarṣe': 'O brahmarṣi

• a great seer of Brahman (vocative)', 'śrūyatām': 'let it be heard

• please listen (imperative/passive form used politely)', 'yat': 'that which', 'te': 'by you/your', 'manasā': 'in the mind', 'etad': 'this', 'vivakṣitam': 'intended to be spoken/asked

• what you wish to express', 'na': 'not', 'ayam': 'this (person)', 'kevala-martyaḥ': 'a mere mortal', 'vai': 'indeed, certainly', 'mānuṣatvam': 'human state/condition

• humanity', 'upāgataḥ': 'has attained/assumed

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Vṛtra
• Śacī
• Arjuna
• Lomaśa (implied by context as the addressed brahmarṣi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts that Arjuna’s identity exceeds ordinary mortality: though appearing in human form, he is not merely a perishable human being. It frames heroic excellence as grounded in a higher, divine origin, encouraging reverence and a broader ethical view of destiny and duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra addresses a brahmarṣi (in context, Lomaśa) with a reassuring, authoritative reply, inviting him to voice his unspoken question and then clarifying that Arjuna is not simply a mortal who has taken human birth.