Shloka 52
Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness
Nivātakavaca engagement
उवाच च महादेवो दत्त्वा मे5स्त्रं सनातनम् | न प्रयोज्यं भवेदेतन्मानुषेषु कथठ्चन,अपना सनातन अस्त्र मुझे देकर महादेवजी फिर बोले--तुम्हें मनुष्योंपर किसी प्रकार इस अस्त्रका प्रयोग नहीं करना चाहिये
uvāca ca mahādevo dattvā me ’straṃ sanātanam | na prayojyaṃ bhaved etan mānuṣeṣu kathaṃcana ||
After granting me the eternal weapon, Mahādeva spoke again: “This must never be employed against human beings under any circumstance.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even divinely granted power is governed by dharma: the weapon is to be held with restraint and must not be used against human beings. The verse emphasizes ethical limits, not merely capability.
Arjuna reports that after Mahādeva grants him an ancient, eternal weapon, Śiva immediately adds a strict prohibition: it is not to be deployed against humans, underscoring the conditional nature of the gift.