Shloka 6
Lokapāla-samāgamaḥ—Arjuna Receives Astras from the World-Guardians
Book 3, Chapter 42
तत्र नागा महाकाया ज्वलितास्या: सुदारुणा: । सिताभ्रकूटप्रतिमा: संहताश्च॒ तथोपला:,उस स्थानमें अत्यन्त भयंकर तथा प्रज्वलित मुखवाले विशालकाय सर्प मौजूद थे। श्वेत बादलोंके समूहकी भाँति ढेर-के-ढेर युद्धमें फेंकनेयोग्य पत्थर भी रखे हुए थे
tatra nāgā mahākāyā jvalitāsyāḥ sudāruṇāḥ | sitābhrakūṭapratimāḥ saṃhatāś ca tathopalāḥ ||
Dort waren riesenhafte Schlangen — furchtbar, mit flammenden Mäulern. Und dort lagen auch Haufen von Steinen, dicht zusammengeschichtet und zum Schleudern in der Schlacht geeignet, gleich Ansammlungen weißer Wolken.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily heightens the sense of danger in the setting: nature itself (serpents, rock-heaps like missiles) becomes an obstacle. Ethically, it underscores vigilance and steadiness when moving through threatening environments, where fear and violence are latent.
Vaiśampāyana describes a particular location encountered in the story: it is inhabited by enormous, fearsome serpents with flaming mouths, and it contains piled stones compared to white cloud-masses—suggesting a terrain prepared for or reminiscent of conflict.