Shloka 13
Śikhaṇḍin’s Transformation, Daśārṇa Verification, and Kubera’s Conditional Curse
Udyoga Parva 193
यद् चुगान्ते पशुपति: सर्वभूतानि संहरन् । प्रयुड्धक्ते पुरुषव्याघ्र तदिदं मयि वर्तते
yad cūgānte paśupatiḥ sarvabhūtāni saṁharan | prayuddhakte puruṣavyāghra tad idaṁ mayi vartate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O tiger among men, the very weapon that Lord Paśupati employs at the end of the age, when He draws all beings into dissolution, is present with me.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that ultimate power—symbolized by Śiva’s pralaya-weapon—demands ethical restraint. Possessing a world-ending capability is not a license for excess; it intensifies the bearer’s responsibility to act within dharma and with measured judgment.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a foremost warrior (“tiger among men”) and declares that he possesses a formidable divine weapon associated with Paśupati (Śiva), the one used at cosmic dissolution. The statement functions as a revelation of capability and a warning about the gravity of escalating conflict.