Shloka 8

Kāmyake Pāṇḍavānāṃ Bhojana-vyavasthā

Provisioning and Welfare in the Kāmyaka Forest

Devanagari script

महर्षे मम पुत्रो5यं कुन्त्यां जातो महाभुज: । अस्त्रहेतोरिह प्राप्त: कस्माच्चित्‌ कारणान्तरात्‌,“महर्षे! ये महाबाहु धनंजय कुन्तीके गर्भसे उत्पन्न हुए मेरे पुत्र हैं और कुछ कारणवश अस्त्रविद्या सीखनेके लिये यहाँ आये हैं। आश्वर्य है कि आप इन पुरातन ऋषिप्रवरको नहीं जानते हैं। ब्रह्म! इनका जो स्वरूप है और इनके अवतार-ग्रहणका जो कारण है, वह सब मैं बता रहा हूँ। आप मेरे मुँहसे यह सब सुनिये

Transliteration

maharṣe mama putro 'yaṃ kuntyāṃ jāto mahābhujaḥ | astrahetor iha prāptaḥ kasmāc cit kāraṇāntarāt ||

Translation

“大圣者啊，此乃吾子，臂力雄伟，生于昆蒂。他来此为求得诸般神兵与其奥义，亦因另有缘故。”

Word by Word

महर्षेO great sage

ममof me / my

पुत्रःson

अयम्this (one)

कुन्त्याम्in Kuntī (i.e., in/through Kuntī as mother)

जातःborn

महाभुजःmighty-armed

अस्त्रहेतोःfor the sake of weapons (training) / for weapon-learning

इहhere

प्राप्तःarrived

कस्मात्from what? / for what reason?

चित्some (indefinite particle)

कारणान्तरात्from another cause / due to some other reason

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Mahārṣi (addressed sage)

Kuntī

Dhanaṃjaya/Arjuna (implied by ‘Kuntī-born mighty-armed son’ in context)

Astra (weapons/divine missiles)

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 highlights the kṣatriya imperative to seek proper training in arms under legitimate guidance, while also acknowledging that major life-events often arise from layered causes—duty (astra-hetu) alongside other providential circumstances (kāraṇāntara).

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker identifies a heroic figure as his son born of Kuntī and explains to a great sage that the hero has come to this place to obtain instruction in weapons, with an additional, unspecified reason also prompting the visit.