Shloka 44
अर्जुनागमनम्
Arjuna’s Arrival and Reunion on the Sacred Mountain
रत्नजालपरिक्षिप्तं चित्रमाल्यविभूषितम् | राक्षसाधिपते: स्थानं ददृशे भरतर्षभ:,वहाँके अत्यन्त शोभाशाली विविध वृक्ष नाना प्रकारकी कान्तिसे प्रकाशित हो रहे थे। उनकी मज्जरियाँ विचित्र दिखायी देती थीं। वे सब-के-सब और अकथनीय जान पड़ते थे। भरतश्रेष्ठ भीमने राक्षसराज कुबेरके उस स्थानको नाक समुदायसे सुशोभित तथा विचित्र मालाओंसे विभूषित देखा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ratnajālaparikṣiptaṃ citramālyavibhūṣitam | rākṣasādhipateḥ sthānaṃ dadṛśe bharatarṣabhaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Bhīma, the bull among the Bharatas, beheld the abode of the lord of the rākṣasas—an area encircled with a net-like array of jewels and adorned with wondrous garlands. The scene underscores the contrast between dazzling external splendor and the inner discipline required of the Pāṇḍavas as they move through perilous, morally testing spaces during exile.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how outward magnificence—jewels and garlands—can mark powerful domains, yet a dharmic hero must maintain discernment and self-control, not being swayed by splendor while moving through morally complex, potentially dangerous realms.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Bhīma, during the events of the Vana Parva, comes upon and observes a strikingly ornamented abode associated with a rākṣasa-lord, described as encircled by a jewel-like lattice and decorated with wondrous garlands.