Arjuna Asks the Gandharva to Narrate Vashishtha's Story
After hearing the gandharva speak, Arjuna is filled with joy and curiosity. He asks the celestial being to tell him in detail about the illustrious sage Vashishtha, the priest of his ancestors.
The gandharva had been speaking, and his words hung in the air of the dark forest. Arjuna, the bull of the Bharata lineage, listened. Something the celestial singer said about the sage Vashishtha and his ascetic powers caught in Arjuna’s mind and kindled a flame of curiosity.
Joy spread through Arjuna. He shone, Vaishampayana said, like the full moon emerging from behind a cloud. He was the best of the Kurus, a great archer, but in that moment he was simply a student, eager for knowledge. He turned to the gandharva, the lord of the celestial musicians he had just subdued in battle.
“I wish to hear the story of the rishi you mentioned,” Arjuna said. “Vashishtha. Tell me in detail. O lord of the gandharvas, tell me who this illustrious rishi was, the priest of our ancestors.”
It was not a command, but a request. The fight was over; now came the tale. With that question, Arjuna opened a door. The gandharva, bound by the rules of hospitality and discourse, would now walk through it and begin his narration.