Shloka 363
नागो महाई " पार्थोत्तमाजत् प्रहरत् तरस्वी । ब्रह्माजीने तपस्या और प्रयत्न करके देवराज इन्द्रके लिये स्वयं ही जिसका निर्माण किया था
sañjaya uvāca | nāgo mahā… pārthottamāj jagat praharat tarasvī | brahmājine tapasā ca prayatnena ca devarājāya indrāya svayam eva yasya nirmāṇaṃ kṛtam āsīt | bahumūlyaṃ śatrubhyo bhayaṅkaraṃ dhārayituḥ paramasukhadāyakaṃ paramasugandhi ca | daityavadhecchayā kirīṭinā arjunāya svayaṃ devarāja indreṇa prasannacittena yaḥ kirīṭaḥ pradattaḥ | bhagavān śivaḥ varuṇa indraḥ kuberaś ca—ete deveśvarā api svaiḥ pinākapāśavajrabāṇarūpair uttamaiḥ astrāṇāṃ na taṃ nāśayituṃ śekuḥ | tam eva divyaṃ mukuṭaṃ karṇena sarpamukhabāṇena balāt hṛtam | durbhāvamānasaḥ sa mithyāpratijñaḥ vegavān nāgaḥ arjunasya mastakāt tam atyadbhutaṃ bahumūlyaṃ suvarṇacitritaṃ mukuṭam apāharat |
Sañjaya said: A mighty Nāga, swift in force, struck at Arjuna, the best of the Pāṇḍavas. That divine crown—fashioned by Brahmā through austerity and effort for Indra himself; priceless, terrifying to foes, supremely comfortable and fragrant for its wearer; and later, with pleased heart, bestowed by Indra upon the diademed Arjuna who sought the destruction of the Daityas—could not be destroyed even by the lordly gods Śiva, Varuṇa, Indra, and Kubera with their finest weapons such as the Pināka, the noose, the thunderbolt, and arrows. Yet Karṇa, by sheer force, carried it off with a serpent-faced arrow. That swift Nāga, harboring malice and bound to a deceitful vow, tore away from Arjuna’s head that wondrous, costly, gold-ornamented crown—showing how in war even divine gifts become vulnerable when hatred and stratagem override fair combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts divine protection and human conduct: even a god-given boon (Arjuna’s crown) can be compromised in the chaos of war when malice and stratagem prevail. It highlights the ethical tension in battle—victory pursued through deceptive or hostile intent (durbhāva, mithyā-pratijñā) undermines the ideal of righteous combat, reminding readers that dharma is tested most severely amid violence and rivalry.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, using a serpent-powered, serpent-faced arrow, forcibly removes Arjuna’s divine crown. The crown is described as originally crafted by Brahmā for Indra and later gifted by Indra to Arjuna; it is so extraordinary that even major gods with their signature weapons could not destroy it—yet it is seized in battle through Karṇa’s Nāga-associated missile.