Mahabharata · 1.211.18–19
॥
Devanāgarī
अर्जुन उवाच
दुहिता वसुदेवस्य वासुदेवस्य च स्वसा ॥
रूपेण चैव संपन्ना कम् इवैषा न मोहयेत् ॥
कृतम् एव तु कल्याणं सर्वं मम भवेद् ध्रुवम् ॥
यदि स्यान् मम वार्ष्णेयी महिषीयं स्वसा तव ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
arjuna uvāca
duhitā vasudevasya vāsudevasya ca svasā ||
rūpeṇa caiva saṃpannā kam ivaiṣā na mohayet ||
kṛtam eva tu kalyāṇaṃ sarvaṃ mama bhaved dhruvam ||
yadi syān mama vārṣṇeyī mahiṣīyaṃ svasā tava ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
दुहिता वसुदेवस्य वासुदेवस्य च स्वसाduhitā vasudevasya vāsudevasya ca svasā“the daughter of Vasudeva [her father] and sister of Vasudeva [Krishna],
रूपेण च एव संपन्ना कम् इव एषा न मोहयेत्rūpeṇa ca eva saṃpannā kam iva eṣā na mohayetand endowed with beauty — whom would she not captivate?
कृतम् एव तु कल्याणं सर्वं मम भवेत् ध्रुवम्kṛtam eva tu kalyāṇaṃ sarvaṃ mama bhavet dhruvamall my good fortune would surely be accomplished,
यदि स्यात् मम वार्ष्णेयी महिषी इयं स्वसा तवyadi syāt mama vārṣṇeyī mahiṣī iyaṃ svasā tavaif this maiden of the Vrishnis, your sister, became my wife;
अर्जुनarjunaoriginal form "arjuna", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इवैषाivaiṣāoriginal form "ivaiṣā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भवेद्bhavedoriginal form "bhaved", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्यान्syānoriginal form "syān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महिषीयंmahiṣīyaṃoriginal form "mahiṣīyaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
Arjuna said: "The daughter of Vasudeva and sister of Vasudeva, and endowed with beauty — whom would she not captivate? All my good fortune would surely be accomplished if this maiden of the Vrishnis, your sister, became my wife."
Version
dde63aef8602 · published Jul 12, 2026, 6:11:48 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here Arjuna values her kinship with the Lord above her beauty. It is significant that he first calls her "the sister of Vasudeva" and only then a beauty: for a devotee, closeness to the Lord is dearest of all. Significant too is the phrase "all my good fortune would be accomplished": to become kin to Krishna is the highest happiness. Kinship with the Lord is regarded as the greatest good. Thus scripture shows Arjuna's feeling; and his desire is not for beauty alone, but for union with the Lord's household.