Shloka 16
अर्जुनस्य इन्द्रकीलगमनम् तथा शक्रसाक्षात्कारः
Arjuna’s journey to Indrakīla and encounter with Indra
ततः प्रयाते कौन्तेये वनं मानुषवर्जितम् । शड़्खानां पटहानां च शब्द: समभवद् दिवि,तदनन्तर कुन्तीनन्दन अर्जुनके उस निर्जन वनमें पहुँचते ही आकाशमें शंखों और नगाड़ोंका गम्भीर घोष गूँज उठा
tataḥ prayāte kaunteye vanaṁ mānuṣavarjitam | śaṅkhānāṁ paṭahānāṁ ca śabdaḥ samabhavad divi ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Als Arjuna, Kuntīs Sohn, aufgebrochen war und jenen von Menschen verlassenen Wald erreichte, erhob sich am Himmel ein tiefer, widerhallender Lärm von Muschelhörnern und Kesseltrommeln—ein Zeichen zugleich unheilvoll und erhaben, als würden unsichtbare Mächte seine Ankunft und die Schwere seines Vorhabens kennzeichnen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a dharmic undertaking by a disciplined hero is accompanied by signs that elevate the act beyond the merely personal. The celestial sound suggests that righteous effort draws the attention of higher powers and that major vows or quests carry moral and cosmic weight.
As Arjuna reaches an uninhabited forest, a powerful sound of conches and war-drums is heard in the sky. This functions as an omen or announcement, indicating the presence or acknowledgement of divine or unseen beings at the moment of his arrival.