Shloka 21

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

Devanagari script

एतानि रक्ष्यमाणानि धनंजय यथागमम्‌ बलवन्ति सुखाहाणि भविष्यन्ति न संशय:,“धनंजय! शास्त्रके अनुसार सुरक्षित रखे जानेपर ही ये अस्त्र सबल और सुखदायक होते हैं, इसमें संशय नहीं है

Transliteration

etāni rakṣyamāṇāni dhanaṃjaya yathāgamam balavanti sukhāhāṇi bhaviṣyanti na saṃśayaḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Dhanañjaya, wenn diese Waffen gemäß den Vorschriften der Śāstras und dem überlieferten Verfahren bewacht und gepflegt werden, werden sie gewiss mächtig bleiben und zu Quellen von Wohlergehen und Leichtigkeit werden; daran besteht kein Zweifel.“

Word by Word

एतानिthese

रक्ष्यमाणानिbeing protected/kept guarded

धनंजयO Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

यथाaccording to/as

आगमम्scriptural injunction/tradition

बलवन्तिpowerful

सुखदायकानिbringing happiness/beneficial

भविष्यन्तिwill be/become

नnot

संशयःdoubt

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

astrāṇi (weapons, implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power is not merely possessed; it must be safeguarded and regulated by śāstra and tradition. Weapons (and by extension any capability) remain beneficial only when maintained and used under disciplined, authorized norms.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), emphasizing that the weapons in question will stay potent and bring good results only if they are carefully protected and preserved according to prescribed rules.