Shloka 6
Puṣkara-Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Phala of Pilgrimage
Nārada–Yudhiṣṭhira; Pulastya–Bhīṣma Transmission
वन॑ तु तदभूत् तेन हीनमक्लिष्टकर्मणा । कुबेरेण यथा हीन वन चैत्ररथं तथा,अनायास ही महान् कर्म करनेवाले अर्जुनके बिना वह वन उसी प्रकार शोभाशून्य-सा हो गया, जैसे कुबेरके बिना चैत्ररथ वन
vanaṁ tu tad abhūt tena hīnam akliṣṭa-karmāṇā | kuberaṇa yathā hīnaṁ vanaṁ caitrarathaṁ tathā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: That forest, bereft of him—the tireless doer of deeds—became as though deprived of its splendor. Just as the Caitraratha grove would seem diminished without Kubera, so too did the forest appear empty and beautyless without Arjuna. The verse underscores how the presence of a virtuous, capable person can confer order, confidence, and radiance upon a place, and how their absence is felt as a moral and emotional loss.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that excellence in character and steadfast action (‘akliṣṭa-karmā’) has a sustaining, beautifying effect on the world; when such a person is absent, even a naturally splendid place feels diminished—highlighting the ethical value of responsible presence and service.
The narrator describes the forest’s changed atmosphere after Arjuna is no longer there: it seems bereft and less radiant, likened to Kubera’s celebrated Caitraratha grove if Kubera himself were absent.