Shloka 5
उलूकदूतवाक्यम् / Ulūka’s Message to the Pāṇḍavas
त्रीण्येवैतनि दिव्यानि धनूंषि दिवि चारिणाम् । वारुणं गाण्डिवं तत्र माहेन्द्रं विजयं धनु: । शार्ज्ज तु वैष्णवं प्राहुर्दिव्यं तेजोमयं धनु:,झुलोकमें विचरनेवाले देवताओंके ये तीन ही धनुष दिव्य माने गये हैं। उनमेंसे गाण्डीव धनुष वरुणका, विजय देवराज इन्द्रका तथा शार्क् नामक दिव्य तेजस्वी धनुष भगवान् विष्णुका बताया गया है
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
trīṇy evaitāni divyāni dhanūṃṣi divi cāriṇām |
vāruṇaṃ gāṇḍīvaṃ tatra māhendraṃ vijayaṃ dhanuḥ |
śārṅgaṃ tu vaiṣṇavaṃ prāhur divyaṃ tejomayaṃ dhanuḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Among the gods who move in heaven, only these three bows are regarded as truly divine. Of them, the Gāṇḍīva is Varuṇa’s; the Vijaya bow belongs to Mahendra (Indra), king of the gods; and the radiant, divine bow called Śārṅga is declared to be Viṣṇu’s.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames extraordinary martial power as divinely sanctioned and limited to a few supreme weapons, implying that force must be aligned with rightful authority and cosmic order (dharma), not mere personal ambition.
Vaiśampāyana identifies and ranks three famed celestial bows and their divine owners—Gāṇḍīva (Varuṇa), Vijaya (Indra), and Śārṅga (Viṣṇu)—highlighting the sacred pedigree of key weapons relevant to the coming conflict.