स राजधानीं संप्राप्य कौन्तेयो ऽर्जुनम् अब्रवीत् ॥
क्वायुधानि समासज्य प्रवेक्ष्यामः पुरं वयम् ॥
सायुधाश् च वयं तात प्रवेक्ष्यामः पुरं यदि ॥
समुद्वेगं जनस्यास्य करिष्यामो न संशयः ॥
ततो द्वादश वर्षाणि प्रवेष्टव्यं वनं पुनः ॥
एकस्मिन्न् अपि विज्ञाते प्रतिज्ञातं हि नस् तथा ॥
अर्जुन उवाच
इयं कूटे मनुष्येन्द्र गहना महती शमी ॥
भीमशाखा दुरारोहा श्मशानस्य समीपतः ॥
न चापि विद्यते कश् चिन् मनुष्य इह पार्थिव ॥
उत्पथे हि वने जाता मृगव्यालनिषेविते ॥
समासज्यायुधान्य् अस्यां गच्छामो नगरं प्रति ॥
एवम् अत्र यथाजोषं विहरिष्याम भारत ॥
sa rājadhānīṃ saṃprāpya kaunteyo 'rjunam abravīt ||
kvāyudhāni samāsajya pravekṣyāmaḥ puraṃ vayam ||
sāyudhāś ca vayaṃ tāta pravekṣyāmaḥ puraṃ yadi ||
samudvegaṃ janasyāsya kariṣyāmo na saṃśayaḥ ||
tato dvādaśa varṣāṇi praveṣṭavyaṃ vanaṃ punaḥ ||
ekasminn api vijñāte pratijñātaṃ hi nas tathā ||
arjuna uvāca
iyaṃ kūṭe manuṣyendra gahanā mahatī śamī ||
bhīmaśākhā durārohā śmaśānasya samīpataḥ ||
na cāpi vidyate kaś cin manuṣya iha pārthiva ||
utpathe hi vane jātā mṛgavyālaniṣevite ||
samāsajyāyudhāny asyāṃ gacchāmo nagaraṃ prati ||
evam atra yathājoṣaṃ vihariṣyāma bhārata ||
Having reached the capital, the son of Kunti said to Arjuna: "Where shall we set down our weapons before we enter the city? If we enter armed, dear one, we will without doubt alarm the people. And if even one of us is recognized, we shall have to enter the forest again for twelve years; such is our vow." Arjuna said: "Here, O lord of men, on the high ground stands a great, dense shami tree, with fearsome branches, hard to climb, near the cremation ground. There is not a single person here, O king: it has grown off the road, in a forest frequented by beasts and predators. Let us hang our weapons on it and go into the city. Then we shall live here as we please, O Bharata."
e48e9bf92e02 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:58:59 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The weapons cannot be brought into the palace, yet neither can they be abandoned. The shami tree becomes a hidden repository of strength: the Pandavas' visible humility does not mean renouncing the battle to come.