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

Arjuna berkata: “Wahai tuan di antara manusia, di atas busut ini berdiri sebatang pokok śamī yang besar—lebat dan sukar ditembusi, bercabang gagah dan sukar dipanjat—terletak dekat tanah pembakaran mayat.”

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.