Shloka 13
हिरण्यपुरमित्येवं ख्यायते नगरं महत् रक्षितं कालकेयैश्न पौलोमैश्न महासुरै:,यह विशाल नगर हिरण्यपुरके नामसे विख्यात है। कालकेय तथा पौलोम नामक महान् असुर इसकी रक्षा करते हैं
hiraṇyapuram ity evaṁ khyāyate nagaraṁ mahat | rakṣitaṁ kālakeyaiś ca paulomaiś ca mahāsuraiḥ ||
Arjuna said: “There is a great city renowned by the name Hiraṇyapura. It is guarded by the mighty Asuras known as the Kālakeyas and the Paulomas.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores discernment in the face of power: a splendid, well-guarded stronghold may still belong to forces opposed to dharma. Ethical clarity requires looking beyond outward grandeur to the nature and aims of those who wield power.
Arjuna identifies and describes a great city named Hiraṇyapura and notes that it is protected by powerful Asura groups—the Kālakeyas and the Paulomas—setting up the sense of danger and the scale of opposition.