Shloka 12
Śikhaṇḍin’s Transformation, Daśārṇa Verification, and Kubera’s Conditional Curse
Udyoga Parva 193
यत् तद् घोरं पशुपति: प्रादादस्त्रं महन्मम । कैराते दन्द्धयुद्धे तु तदिदं मयि वर्तते
yat tad ghoraṁ paśupatiḥ prādād astraṁ mahan mama | kairāte dvandvayuddhe tu tad idaṁ mayi vartate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “That terrible and mighty weapon which Lord Paśupati granted me—when, in the guise of a Kirāta, He engaged me in single combat—remains with me even now.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the possession of supreme power (a divine astra) is framed as a trust: it should be remembered with humility and used only under dharmic restraint, not from anger or pride.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls that Śiva, called Paśupati, once tested him by appearing as a Kirāta and fighting a duel; after the test, Śiva bestowed the formidable Pāśupata weapon, which Yudhiṣṭhira says he still possesses.