वैशंपायन उवाच
प्रविशन्न् अर्जुनो राजन्न् आश्रमं सत्यवादिनः ॥
ददर्शासीनम् एकान्ते मुनिं सत्यवतीसुतम् ॥
स तम् आसाद्य धर्मज्ञम् उपतस्थे महाव्रतम् ॥
अर्जुनो ऽस्मीति नामास्मै निवेद्याभ्यवदत् ततः ॥
स्वागतं ते ऽस्त्व् इति प्राह मुनिः सत्यवतीसुतः ॥
आस्यताम् इति चोवाच प्रसन्नात्मा महामुनिः ॥
तम् अप्रतीतमनसं निःश्वसन्तं पुनः पुनः ॥
निर्विण्णमनसं दृष्ट्वा पार्थं व्यासो ऽब्रवीद् इदम् ॥
अवीरजो ऽभिघातस् ते ब्राह्मणो वा हतस् त्वया ॥
युद्धे पराजितो वासि गतश्रीर् इव लक्ष्यसे ॥
न त्वा प्रत्यभिजानामि किम् इदं भरतर्षभ ॥
श्रोतव्यं चेन् मया पार्थ क्षिप्रम् आख्यातुम् अर्हसि ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
praviśann arjuno rājann āśramaṃ satyavādinaḥ ||
dadarśāsīnam ekānte muniṃ satyavatīsutam ||
sa tam āsādya dharmajñam upatasthe mahāvratam ||
arjuno 'smīti nāmāsmai nivedyābhyavadat tataḥ ||
svāgataṃ te 'stv iti prāha muniḥ satyavatīsutaḥ ||
āsyatām iti covāca prasannātmā mahāmuniḥ ||
tam apratītamanasaṃ niḥśvasantaṃ punaḥ punaḥ ||
nirviṇṇamanasaṃ dṛṣṭvā pārthaṃ vyāso 'bravīd idam ||
avīrajo 'bhighātas te brāhmaṇo vā hatas tvayā ||
yuddhe parājito vāsi gataśrīr iva lakṣyase ||
na tvā pratyabhijānāmi kim idaṃ bharatarṣabha ||
śrotavyaṃ cen mayā pārtha kṣipram ākhyātum arhasi ||
Vaishampayana said: Entering, O king, the hermitage of the truth-speaking one, Arjuna saw the sage, the son of Satyavati, seated in solitude. He approached that knower of dharma, great in his vow, and presented himself; announcing his name — "I am Arjuna" — he then greeted him. "Welcome to you," said the sage, the son of Satyavati; "be seated," said the great sage with serene spirit. Seeing Partha with a troubled mind, sighing again and again, with a dejected heart, Vyasa spoke thus: "Has some ignoble blow struck you, or have you slain a brahmin, or have you been defeated in battle, that you appear as one whose fortune has departed? I do not recognize you — what is this, O bull of the Bharatas? If I should hear it, O Partha, deign to tell me quickly."
435512dd9abc · published Jun 21, 2026, 1:40:00 AM UTC
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Shattered Arjuna seeks counsel from Vyasa — and therein lies wisdom: in the hour when familiar supports crumble, one must seek not the world's consolation but the word of one who has seen the truth. The far-sighted sage immediately perceives the change: the brilliant hero appears "as one whose fortune has departed," unrecognizable. This reveals that the outer radiance of valor is the reflection of one's inner bond with the Lord — when that bond grows clouded, so too does one's very countenance. The verse teaches that in the shock of calamity one should turn to the wise and the holy, seeking their light rather than those who merely lull grief to sleep; and that a person's spiritual state is mirrored in his very appearance, for "departed fortune" is visible to the far-sighted — which means that true beauty and strength are the fruit of the soul's bond with its Lord.