Shloka 16

Arjuna Honored in Indra’s Court; Lomāśa’s Audience; Indra’s Disclosure of Lineage and Mission

Book 3, Chapter 45

Devanagari script

महेन्द्रस्य नियोगेन त्वत्त: सम्प्रणयेन च । तस्य चाहं गुणौघेन फाल्गुने जातमन्मथा । गच्छ त्वं हि यथाकाममागमिष्याम्यहं सुखम्‌,“महेन्द्रकी आज्ञासे, तुम्हारे प्रेमपूर्ण बर्तावसे तथा अर्जुनके सदगुणसमुदायसे मेरा उनके प्रति कामभाव हो गया है। अतः: अब तुम जाओ। मैं इच्छानुसार सुखपूर्वक उनके स्थानपर यथासमय आऊँगी”

Transliteration

mahendrasya niyogena tvattaḥ sampraṇayena ca | tasya cāhaṃ guṇaughena phālgune jātamanmathā | gaccha tvaṃ hi yathākāmam āgamiṣyāmy ahaṃ sukham ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “By Mahendra’s command, by your affectionate mediation, and by the flood of Phālguna’s virtues, desire has arisen in me for him. Therefore go now as you please; I shall come to him in due course, at my own will, and in comfort.”

Word by Word

• {'mahendrasya': 'of Mahendra (Indra), king of the gods', 'niyogena': 'by command, injunction, appointment', 'tvattaḥ': 'from you

• on your part', 'sampraṇayena': 'with affectionate conduct

• with loving persuasion/mediation', 'tasya': 'for him

• toward him', 'cāham': 'and I', 'guṇaughena': 'by a flood/heap of virtues

• by an abundance of good qualities', 'phālgune': 'in/for Phālguna (Arjuna)', 'jātamanmathā': 'one in whom Manmatha (desire/love) has arisen

• love-struck', 'gaccha': 'go', 'tvam': 'you', 'hi': 'indeed', 'yathākāmam': 'as you wish

• at your pleasure', 'āgamiṣyāmi': 'I shall come', 'aham': 'I', 'sukham': 'comfortably

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Mahendra (Indra)
• Phālguna (Arjuna)
• Manmatha (Kāma, the god/personification of desire)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames personal attraction as arising within a network of causes—divine injunction (niyoga), respectful mediation, and the recognition of virtue (guṇaugha). Ethically, it highlights how desire is narrated as being aligned with higher authority and merit, while also asserting the speaker’s agency in choosing the time and manner of meeting.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports a woman declaring that, prompted by Indra’s command, the interlocutor’s affectionate persuasion, and Arjuna’s virtues, she has become enamored of Arjuna (Phālguna). She dismisses the messenger/interlocutor to go freely and states she will come to Arjuna at the appropriate time, comfortably and by her own will.