Shloka 18
उपातिष्ठत तद् वेश्म निर्मल सुमनोहरम् । सशड्कितमना राजन प्रत्युदूगच्छत तां निशि,नरश्रेष्ठ जनमेजय! महलके द्वारपर पहुँचकर वह ठहर गयी। उस समय द्वारपालोंने अर्जुनको उसके आगमनकी सूचना दी। तब सुन्दर नेत्रोंवाली उर्वशी रात्रिमें अर्जुनके अत्यन्त मनोहर तथा उज्ज्वल भवनमें उपस्थित हुई। राजन्! अर्जुन सशंक हृदयसे उसके सामने गये
vaiśampāyana uvāca | upātiṣṭhata tad veśma nirmala-sumanoharam | saśaṅkita-manā rājan pratyudūgacchata tāṃ niśi | naraśreṣṭha janamejaya |
Vaiśampāyana said: She came up to that spotless, exceedingly beautiful residence. O King, with a mind full of apprehension, he went out at night to meet her. O best of men, Janamejaya. Having reached the palace gate, she paused; the gatekeepers informed Arjuna of her arrival. Then Urvaśī, the lovely-eyed one, entered Arjuna’s radiant and most enchanting dwelling by night, and Arjuna, his heart uneasy, approached her—signaling a moment where desire, propriety, and self-restraint are about to be tested.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical tension: when confronted with an unexpected, potentially desire-provoking encounter, a person committed to dharma must respond with vigilance and self-control rather than impulsiveness.
Urvaśī arrives at night at Arjuna’s splendid residence; she pauses at the gate, the doorkeepers announce her, and Arjuna—uneasy and suspicious—goes out to meet her as the scene moves toward their consequential interaction.