Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.39.83 - Vana Parva, Adhyaya 39, Shloka 83
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
महादेव! अत्यन्त साहसवश मैंने जो आपके साथ यह युद्ध किया है, इसमें मेरा अपराध नहीं है। यह अनजानमें मुझसे बन गया है। शंकर! मैं अब आपकी शरणमें आया हूँ। आप मेरी उस धृष्टताको क्षमा करें ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tam uvāca mahātejāḥ prahasya vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ | pragṛhya ruciraṃ bāhuṃ kṣāntam ity eva phālgunam ||
Arjuna sprach: „Mahādeva! In übergroßer Vermessenheit habe ich mit dir gekämpft; das ist keine absichtliche Schuld von mir — es geschah in Unwissenheit. O Śaṅkara, nun bin ich in deine Zuflucht gekommen; vergib mir diese Dreistigkeit.“ Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Janamejaya! Da lächelte der machtvolle, strahlende Herr — Śiva, dessen Banner den Stier trägt —, ergriff Arjunas schönen Arm und sagte zu Phālguna: ‚Ich habe dir längst vergeben.‘“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rash action and ignorance can lead to wrongdoing, but genuine surrender, humility, and repentance invite forgiveness; divine grace restores moral balance without denying the seriousness of the act.
After Arjuna seeks refuge and asks pardon for his audacious combat, Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja) smiles, takes Arjuna’s arm, and explicitly declares him forgiven, resolving the tension of the encounter.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata (Gita Press) in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.