Shloka 16

निवातकवचैः सह अर्जुनस्य रथयुद्धम्

Arjuna’s chariot engagement with the Nivātakavacas

Devanagari script

धनेश्वरगृहस्थानां पाण्डवानां समागमम्‌ | शक्रेण य इदं विद्वानधीयीत समाहित:

Transliteration

dhaneśvaragṛhasthānāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ samāgamam | śakreṇa ya idaṃ vidvān adhīyīta samāhitaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: Sesiapa yang, dengan minda yang terkumpul serta pemahaman yang benar, membaca atau melagukan kisah pertemuan para Pāṇḍava di kediaman Dewa Kekayaan (Kubera)—yang diceritakan berhubung dengan Śakra (Indra)…

Word by Word

धनेश्वरगृहस्थानाम्of those dwelling in the house of the lord of wealth (Kubera)

पाण्डवानाम्of the Pāṇḍavas

समागमम्meeting, encounter

शक्रेणby Śakra (Indra)

यःwho

इदम्this (text/verse)

विद्वान्knowing, learned

अधीयीतshould study/recite

समाहितःcollected, attentive

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pāṇḍavas

Dhaneśvara (Kubera)

Śakra (Indra)

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?

The verse emphasizes the value of attentive, disciplined recitation and study: approaching sacred narrative with understanding (vidvān) and concentration (samāhitaḥ) is itself a dharmic act that deepens reverence for divine order and ethical steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana points to an episode describing the Pāṇḍavas’ ‘meeting/encounter’ connected with the dwelling of Dhaneśvara (Kubera) and associated with Śakra (Indra), framing it in a phalaśruti-style statement that praises mindful recitation of this account.