Mahabharata 3.39.41 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 39, Shloka 41
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
न हि मद्बाणजालानामुत्सृष्टानां सहस्रश: । शक्तो<न्य: सहितुं वेगमृते देवं पिनाकिनम्,“मैंने सहस्नों बार जिन बाण-समूहोंकी वृष्टि की है, उनका वेग पिनाकधारी भगवान् शंकरके सिवा दूसरा कोई नहीं सह सकता
na hi madbāṇajālānām utsṛṣṭānāṁ sahasraśaḥ | śakto 'nyaḥ sahituṁ vegam ṛte devaṁ pinākinam ||
„Wahrlich, von den unzähligen Pfeilsalven, die ich immer wieder abgeschossen habe, vermag niemand ihre Wucht zu ertragen—niemand außer dem göttlichen Herrn, der den Pināka trägt (Śiva).“
किरयात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest martial prowess has limits; ultimate power belongs to the divine. The verse underscores humility and recognition of Śiva’s supremacy, framing heroism as meaningful when aligned with reverence and self-restraint.
The Kirāta (a hunter figure) boasts that the force of his arrow-volleys cannot be endured by anyone—except Śiva, the Pināka-bearing lord—highlighting that the opponent being faced is no ordinary being and foreshadowing divine testing and revelation.
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