Shloka 21

Varuṇa’s Bestowal of the Gāṇḍīva and the Arming of Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna

Khāṇḍava Prelude

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच ततस्ता: पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ: सर्वा एव विशाम्पते । तस्माच्छापाददीनात्मा मोक्षयामास वीर्यवान्‌,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! तब उदारहृदय पराक्रमी पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ अर्जुनने उन सभी अप्सराओंको उस शापसे मुक्त कर दिया

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | tatastāḥ pāṇḍavaśreṣṭhaḥ sarvā eva viśāmpate | tasmācchāpād adīn ātmā mokṣayāmāsa vīryavān |

Translation

قال فايشَمبايانا: «ثم، يا سيد الناس، إن أرجونا الجبار—أشرف الباندفيين، الرحيم القلب—قد خلّص جميع أولئك الأبساراس من تلك اللعنة.»

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

ततःthen, thereafter

ताःthose (women), them

पाण्डवश्रेष्ठःthe best of the Pāṇḍavas (Arjuna)

सर्वाःall

एवindeed, just

विशाम्पतेO lord of the people (Janamejaya)

तस्मात्from that, therefore

शापात्from the curse

दीनात्माःwretched/sorrowful-souled (women)

मोक्षयामासreleased, set free

वीर्यवान्powerful, valiant

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Janamejaya

Arjuna

Pāṇḍavas

Apsarases

Curse (śāpa)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power attains moral worth when guided by compassion: the truly noble hero uses strength to remove others’ suffering and undo unjust bondage, rather than to dominate.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that Arjuna, the foremost Pāṇḍava, compassionately released all the apsarases from the effects of a curse.