Shloka 2
Lomaśa’s Arrival and Report on Arjuna’s Divine Astras (लोमशागमनम्—अर्जुनदिव्यास्त्रलाभवृत्तान्तः)
प्रियड्ग्वाम्रवणोपेता वानीरफलमालिनी । प्रत्यक्स्रोता नदी पुण्या नर्मदा तत्र भारत,भरतनन्दन! पश्चिम दिशामें पुण्यमयी नर्मदा नदी प्रवाहित होती है, जिसकी धारा पूर्वसे पश्चिमकी ओर है। उसके तटपर प्रियंगु और आमके वृक्षोंका वन है। बेंत तथा फलवाले वृक्षोंकी श्रेणियाँ भी उसकी शोभा बढ़ाती हैं
priyaṅgvāmra-vanopetā vānīra-phala-mālinī | pratyak-srotā nadī puṇyā narmadā tatra bhārata ||
Dhaumya said: “There, O Bhārata, flows the sacred river Narmadā, whose current runs westward. Her banks are graced with groves of priyangu and mango trees, and adorned with thickets of reeds and garlands of fruit-bearing trees—enhancing the river’s auspicious beauty.”
धौम्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the sanctity of tīrthas: a holy river and its naturally pure surroundings are presented as sources of merit (puṇya). It frames nature—especially sacred rivers—as ethically significant spaces that support purification, restraint, and dharmic renewal during exile and hardship.
Dhaumya is guiding the Pāṇḍavas during their forest period by describing the sacred Narmadā and her beautiful banks. The description functions as a directional and devotional cue within the broader pilgrimage/travel sequence of the Vana Parva.