Shloka 80
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
प्राग्ज्योतिषं नाम बभूव दुर्ग पुरं घोरमसुराणामसहाम् | महाबलो नरकस्तत्र भौमो जहारादित्या मणिकुण्डले शुभे
prāgjyotiṣaṃ nāma babhūva durgaṃ puraṃ ghoram asurāṇām asahām | mahābalo narakas tatra bhaumo jahārādityā maṇikuṇḍale śubhe
Sañjaya said: There was a formidable fortress-city named Prāgjyotiṣa—terrifying, and hard for even the gods to withstand, being a stronghold of the Asuras. There, the mighty Naraka, born of Bhūmi, seized the radiant jewel-studded earrings of Aditi.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how violent appropriation of what is sacred or rightfully possessed—especially from divine or venerable figures—marks adharma. Such acts of pride and theft destabilize moral order and invite corrective justice.
Sañjaya describes the fearsome stronghold Prāgjyotiṣa, ruled by the powerful Naraka (son of Earth). Naraka commits an outrage by seizing Aditi’s splendid jewel-earrings, establishing his tyrannical character and setting the background for later confrontation.