Shloka 2
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Sañjaya on Arjuna’s Indraloka report and the political consequences
स््नानालंकरणैटईग्यैर्गन्धमाल्यैश्न सुप्रभै: । धनंजयस्य रूपेण शरैर्मन्मथचोदितै:,धनंजयके रूप-सौन्दर्यसे प्रभावित उसका हृदय कामदेवके बाणोंद्वारा अत्यन्त घायल हो चुका था। वह मदनाग्निसे दग्ध हो रही थी। स्नानके पश्चात् उसने चमकीले और मनोभिराम आभूषण धारण किये। सुगन्धित दिव्य पुष्पोंके हारोंसे अपनेको अलंकृत किया। फिर उसने मन-ही-मन संकल्प किया--दिव्य बिछौनोंसे सजी हुई एक सुन्दर विशाल शय्या बिछी हुई है। उसका हृदय सुन्दर तथा प्रियतमके चिन्तनमें एकाग्र था। उसने मनकी भावनाद्वारा ही यह देखा कि कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुन उसके पास आ गये हैं और वह उनके साथ रमण कर रही है
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
snānālaṅkaraṇaiḥ divyaiḥ gandhamālyaiś ca suprabhaiḥ |
dhanañjayasya rūpeṇa śaraiḥ manmathacoditaiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: After bathing, she adorned herself with radiant, heavenly ornaments and with fragrant, splendid garlands. Her mind, stirred by the god of love, was pierced as if by Kāma’s arrows at the sight and thought of Dhanañjaya’s beauty. The passage frames desire as a powerful inner force that can overwhelm discernment, setting up an ethical tension between self-control (dama) and impulsive passion (kāma) within the forest-episode narrative.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how kāma (desire), once stimulated, can ‘wound’ the mind like arrows, pushing a person toward fantasy and impulsive action; it implicitly points to the need for restraint and clarity so that attraction does not override dharmic judgment.
A woman, mentally captivated by Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), bathes and adorns herself with bright ornaments and fragrant garlands, her heart stirred by Manmatha; the imagery presents her as preparing under the pressure of love’s agitation.