Shloka 29

Devanagari script

अस्त्रहेतोर्गत॑ ज्ञात्वा पाण्डवं श्वेतवाहनम्‌,“श्रीकृष्ण! श्वेतवाहन अर्जुनको अस्त्र-प्राप्तिके लिये अन्यत्र गया हुआ जानकर महाधनुर्धर घटोत्कच काम्यकवनमें मेरे पास आया और जबतक अर्जुन लौट नहीं आये तबतक हमारे साथ ही रहा

Transliteration

astra-hetor gataṁ jñātvā pāṇḍavaṁ śveta-vāhanam | śrī-kṛṣṇa! śveta-vāhana arjuna-ko astra-prāpti-ke liye anyatra gayā huā jānkar mahā-dhanu-dhara ghaṭotkaca kāmyaka-vane meṁ mere pās āyā aura jaba-taka arjuna lauṭa nahīṁ āye taba-taka hamāre sātha hī rahā |

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Sachant qu’Arjuna, le Pāṇḍava —celui dont le char est attelé de chevaux blancs— était parti ailleurs pour obtenir des armes célestes, le grand archer Ghaṭotkaca vint à moi dans la forêt de Kāmyaka. Et jusqu’au retour d’Arjuna, il demeura là avec nous.

Word by Word

अस्त्रहेतोःfor the sake of obtaining weapons (lit. of the weapon-purpose)

गतःgone

ज्ञात्वाhaving known

पाण्डवम्the Pandava (Arjuna)

श्वेतवाहनम्him whose chariot/horses are white

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Ghaṭotkaca

Kāmyaka forest

astra (divine weapons)

white-horsed chariot (śveta-vāhana)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When a principal defender is absent, dharmic responsibility shifts to allies: vigilance, solidarity, and timely support preserve the community and the righteous cause even amid war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna has gone elsewhere to obtain powerful astras. Recognizing this, Ghaṭotkaca—an important Pāṇḍava ally—comes to Sañjaya in the Kāmyaka forest and stays with them until Arjuna returns, ensuring protection and continuity.