Shloka 13

Śamī-vṛkṣe śastra-nidhāna and Entry into Virāṭa’s Capital (शमीवृक्षे शस्त्रनिधानम्)

Devanagari script

अजुन उवाच इयं कूटे मनुष्येन्द्र गहना महती शमी । भीमशाखा दुरारोहा श्मशानस्य समीपतः

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca iyaṁ kūṭe manuṣyendra gahanā mahatī śamī | bhīmaśākhā durārohā śmaśānasya samīpataḥ ||

Translation

അർജുനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മനുഷ്യേന്ദ്രാ! ഈ കുന്നിൻമേൽ ഒരു മഹത്തായ ശമീമരം നില്ക്കുന്നു—അത്യന്തം ഘനവും ദുർഭേദ്യവും; ഭീമനെപ്പോലെ ബലമുള്ള ശാഖകൾ, കയറാൻ ദുഷ്കരം; ശ്മശാനത്തിനടുത്തായി സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു.

Word by Word

अर्जुनःArjuna

उवाचsaid

इयम्this

कूटेon the summit/peak

मनुष्येन्द्रO king of men

गहनाdense, hard to penetrate

महतीgreat, large

शमीśamī tree

भीमशाखाhaving formidable branches

दुरारोहाdifficult to climb

श्मशानस्यof the cremation-ground

समीपतःnear, in the vicinity

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

śamī tree

cremation ground (śmaśāna)

mound/raised spot (kūṭa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Prudence and restraint in the pursuit of dharma: even righteous aims (recovering weapons for a just war) require careful strategy, concealment, and awareness of place and circumstance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna points out a large, dense śamī tree on a mound near a cremation ground, marking a significant location—traditionally used for concealment—within the Virāṭa-parvan context where the Pāṇḍavas’ hidden arms become relevant.