Shloka 13
Ulūpī’s Disclosure and the Saṃjīvana-Maṇi: Arjuna’s Restoration (उलूपी-प्रकटनं संजीवनमणि-स्थापनं च)
आप्लुत्य देवा वसव: समेत्य च महानदीम् । इदमूचुर्वचो घोरं भागीरथ्या मते तदा,“वसु नामक देवता महानदी गंगाके तटपर एकत्र हो स्नान करके भागीरथीकी सम्मतिसे यह भयानक वचन बोले--
āplutya devā vasavaḥ sametya ca mahānadīm | idam ūcur vaco ghoraṃ bhāgīrathyā mate tadā ||
Arjuna said: Having bathed and then assembled together on the bank of the great river, the Vasus—divine beings—spoke these dreadful words, with the assent of the Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā), at that time. The scene frames a solemn, morally weighty pronouncement: a collective divine decision is voiced in a sacred riverside setting, underscoring that the coming statement bears grave ethical consequence rather than casual opinion.
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that grave moral decisions and pronouncements are framed as collective, ritually grounded acts: the Vasus bathe, assemble, and speak with the river-goddess Gaṅgā’s assent—signaling solemnity, accountability, and the ethical weight of what follows.
Arjuna narrates that the Vasus gathered at the great river (Bhāgīrathī/Gaṅgā), performed a purificatory bath, and then delivered a fearsome statement with Gaṅgā’s approval, setting up an ominous or consequential declaration in the episode.