Shloka 17
सौगन्धिकपुष्पप्रसङ्गः — The Saugaṇdhika Lotus and Bhīma’s Approach to Hanūmān
समदैश्वापि विहगै: पादपैरन्वितास्तथा । तेवतीर्य बहुन् देशानुत्तमर्च्छिसमन्वितान्,वह पर्वतीय प्रदेश मतवाले विहंगों और अगणित वृक्षोंसे युक्त था। पाण्डवोंने उत्तम समृद्धिसे सम्पन्न बहुत-से देशोंको लाँधकर भाँति-भाँतिके आश्वर्यजनक दृश्योंसे सुशोभित पर्वतश्रेष्ठ कैलासका दर्शन किया। उसीके निकट उन्हें भगवान् नर-नारायणका आश्रम दिखायी दिया, जो नित्य फल-फूल देनेवाले दिव्य वृक्षोंसे अलंकृत था। वहीं वह विशाल एवं मनोरम बदरी भी दिखायी दी, जिसका स्कनन््ध (तना) गोल था। वह वृक्ष बहुत ही चिकना, घनी छायासे युक्त और उत्तम शोभासे सम्पन्न था। उस शुभ वृक्षके सघन कोमल पत्ते भी बहुत चिकने थे
samadaiśv api vihagaiḥ pādapair anvītās tathā | te vatīrya bahūn deśān uttamarcchisa-samanvitān |
Ghaṭotkaca said: “That region was equally furnished with birds and with trees. Having descended there and passed beyond many lands endowed with excellent splendor and prosperity, the Pāṇḍavas beheld the foremost of mountains, Kailāsa, adorned with wondrous sights of many kinds. Near it they saw the hermitage of the blessed Nara-Nārāyaṇa, beautified by divine trees that bear fruit and flowers perpetually. There they also beheld the vast and delightful Badarī tree, with a rounded trunk—very smooth, thickly shaded, and richly beautiful; even its dense, tender leaves were exceedingly glossy.”
घटोत्कच उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharmic orientation through sacred travel: the heroes move beyond worldly regions toward a sanctified landscape where Nara-Nārāyaṇa’s hermitage stands. The ethical emphasis is that proximity to tapas (austere spiritual power) and holy places refines perception—nature itself appears as orderly, abundant, and luminous, mirroring inner discipline and devotion.
Ghaṭotkaca describes the Pāṇḍavas’ journey into the Himalayan sacred zone. They behold Mount Kailāsa with its marvelous scenery and then see nearby the hermitage of Nara-Nārāyaṇa, surrounded by ever-fruitful divine trees, including a grand, smooth, densely shaded Badarī tree.