Shloka 18

Bhīmasena’s Capture by the Serpent and Nahūṣa’s Self-Disclosure (भीमसेन-भुजङ्गग्रहणं नहुषोपाख्यानप्रस्तावः)

Devanagari script

तस्मिंश्न॒ तादृशे काले नारदश्नोदित: सुरै: आगगम्याह वच: पार्थ श्रवणीयमिदं नूप,नराधिप! उस समय देवताओंके कहनेसे देवर्षि नारद अर्जुनके पास आये और उनसे यह सुननेयोग्य बात कहने लगे--'अर्जुन! अर्जुन! इस समय दिव्यास्त्रोंका प्रयोग न करो। भारत! ये दिव्य अस्त्र किसी लक्ष्यके बिना कदापि नहीं छोड़े जाते

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tasmiṁs tādṛśe kāle nāradaś coditaḥ suraiḥ āgamyāha vacaḥ pārtha śravaṇīyam idaṁ nṛpa-narādhipa; “arjuna arjuna, asmin samaye divyāstrāṇāṁ prayogaṁ mā kārṣīḥ; bhārata, ime divyā astrāṇi nirālambane lakṣye kadācid api na muñcanti.”

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: In jener entscheidenden Stunde kam der Weise Nārada—von den Göttern gedrängt—zu Arjuna und redete ihn mit Worten an, die sorgfältiges Hören verdienen: „Arjuna, Arjuna, setze jetzt keine göttlichen Waffen ein. O Nachkomme Bharatas, solche himmlischen Geschosse werden niemals ohne ein bestimmtes Ziel abgeschossen.“ Die Stelle preist die Selbstbeherrschung: Außerordentliche Macht muss von Urteilskraft und Verantwortung gelenkt werden, nicht vom Impuls.

Word by Word

• {'tasmin': 'in that (situation/time)', 'tādṛśa': 'such, of that kind', 'kāla': 'time

• critical occasion', 'Nārada': 'the divine sage Nārada', 'coditaḥ': 'urged, prompted', 'suraiḥ': 'by the gods (devas)', 'āgamya': 'having come/arrived', 'āha': 'said, spoke', 'vacaḥ': 'speech, words', 'Pārtha': 'son of Pṛthā

• Arjuna', 'śravaṇīyam': 'worthy of being heard

• to be listened to', 'nṛpa / narādhipa': 'king

• lord of men (address of respect)', 'divya': 'divine, celestial', 'astra': 'missile-weapon (invoked projectile)', 'prayoga': 'use, application, deployment', 'mā': 'do not (prohibitive particle)', 'asmin samaye': 'at this time', 'Bhārata': 'descendant of Bharata (honorific address)', 'lakṣya': 'target, aim', 'nirālambana': 'without support

• here: without a fixed target', 'kadācid api': 'ever, at any time', 'muñcanti': 'they release/let loose (weapons)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Nārada
• Devas (Suras)
• Arjuna (Pārtha)
• Bhārata (as an epithet/address)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches ethical restraint: divine or extraordinary power (divyāstras) must not be used impulsively. Such weapons are to be deployed only with a clear, justified target—implying accountability, proportionality, and self-control as aspects of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

At a tense moment, the gods prompt the sage Nārada to approach Arjuna. Nārada delivers a cautionary instruction, telling Arjuna not to use celestial weapons at that time and reminding him that such weapons are never released without a definite target.