Shloka 34
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
विद्राव्य सगणानू् देवांस्तत्र तत्र तदा तदा । विचेरु: स्वेन कामेन वरदानेन दर्पिता:,तप उग्र॑ समास्थाय नियमे परमे स्थिता: । उस समय देवताओंने दैत्योंको परास्त कर दिया था, यह हमारे सुननेमें आया है। राजन! दैत्योंके परास्त हो जानेपर तारकासुरके तीन पुत्र ताराक्ष, कमलाक्ष और विद्युन्माली उग्र तपस्याका आश्रय ले उत्तम नियमोंका पालन करने लगे वरदान पानेके कारण उनका घमंड बढ़ गया था। वे विभिन्न स्थानोंमें देवताओं और उनके गणोंको भगाकर वहाँ अपनी इच्छाके अनुसार विचरते थे
vidrāvya sagaṇān devāṁs tatra tatra tadā tadā | viceruḥ svena kāmena varadānena darpitāḥ | tapa ugraṁ samāsthāya niyame parame sthitāḥ |
Duryodhana said: “We have heard that at that time the gods routed the Daityas. After their defeat, Tārakāsura’s three sons—Tārākṣa, Kamalākṣa, and Vidyunmālī—took refuge in fierce austerity and remained steadfast in the highest disciplines. Inflated by the boons they obtained, they drove away the gods along with their attendant hosts from place to place, and then roamed wherever they pleased.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity and discipline can yield power (boons), but when joined with pride (darpa) they become instruments of oppression. The verse highlights an ethical warning: spiritual attainments without humility and restraint tend toward adharma.
Duryodhana recounts a well-known mythic episode: after the gods defeat the Daityas, Tārakāsura’s three sons perform fierce tapas, gain boons, become arrogant, and repeatedly drive the gods and their hosts from various places, roaming freely by their own will.