Shloka 12
Ulūpī’s Disclosure and the Saṃjīvana-Maṇi: Arjuna’s Restoration (उलूपी-प्रकटनं संजीवनमणि-स्थापनं च)
पुरा हि श्रुतमेतत् ते वसुभि: कथितं मया । गज्जायास्तीरमाश्रित्य हते शान्तनवे नूप,“पहलेकी बात है, एक दिन मैं गंगाजीके तटपर गयी थी। नरेश्वर! वहाँ शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मजीके मारे जानेके बाद वसुओंने गंगातटपर आकर आपके सम्बन्धमें जो यह बात कही थी, उसे मैंने अपने कानों सुना था
purā hi śrutam etat te vasubhiḥ kathitaṃ mayā | gaṅgāyās tīram āśritya hate śāntanave nūpam ||
Arjuna said: “Formerly, O king, I heard this very matter—spoken by the Vasus and reported by me to you—when, after the fall of Bhīṣma, the son of Śāntanu, they came to the bank of the Gaṅgā and spoke in connection with you. I heard it with my own ears.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the ethical weight of reliable testimony: Arjuna grounds his statement in direct hearing and in the words of authoritative beings (the Vasus), suggesting that counsel to a king should rest on trustworthy sources and witnessed tradition, especially in the morally complex aftermath of war.
Arjuna begins recounting an earlier episode: after Bhīṣma (Śāntanu’s son) had fallen, the Vasus came to the bank of the Gaṅgā and spoke about a matter connected with the king. Arjuna states he personally heard it and had conveyed it to the king.