Shloka 44
Kailāsa-darśana, Badarī-vāsa, and Sarasvatī–Dvaitavana Transition (कैलासदर्शन–बदरीवास–सरस्वतीद्वैतवनगमनम्)
दृष्टवा गाण्डीवसंयोगमानीय भरतर्षभ नमस्कृत्वा त्रिनेत्राय शर्वायामिततेजसे,शत्रुदमन नरेश! लपलपाती जीभवाले बड़े-बड़े नाग उन दिव्य पुरुषके लिये चीर (वस्त्र) बने हुए थे। भक्तोंपर अनुग्रह करनेवाले उन महादेवजीने सर्पोंका ही यज्ञोपवीत धारण कर रखा था। उनके दर्शनसे मेरा सारा भय जाता रहा। भरतश्रेष्ठ! फिर तो मैंने उस भयंकर एवं सनातन पाशुपतास्त्रको गाण्डीव धनुषपर संयोजित करके अमित तेजस्वी त्रिनेत्रधारी भगवान् शंकरको नमस्कार किया और उन दाननवेन्द्रोंके विनाशके लिये उनपर चला दिया। उस अस्त्रके छूटते ही उससे सहस्रों रूप प्रकट हो गये
dṛṣṭvā gāṇḍīva-saṃyogam ānīya bharatarṣabha | namaskṛtvā tri-netrāya śarvāyāmita-tejase || śatru-damana nareśa lapa-lapātī-jihvā-vāle baड़े-baड़े nāgāḥ tasya divyasya puruṣasya cīra-vastrāṇi iva babhūvuḥ | bhaktān anugrahītā sa mahādevaḥ sarpān eva yajñopavīta-rūpeṇa dhārayām āsa | tasya darśanena mama sarva-bhayaṃ praṇaṣṭam abhavat | bharata-śreṣṭha tataḥ ahaṃ bhayaṅkaraṃ sanātanaṃ pāśupatāstram gāṇḍīve saṃyojya amit-tejasaṃ tri-netradhāriṇaṃ bhagavantaṃ śaṅkaraṃ namaskṛtvā teṣāṃ dānava-indrāṇāṃ vināśāya teṣu prāhiṇavam | tasya astrasya mokṣa-mātreṇa sahasraśo rūpāṇi prādurabhavan ||
Arjuna said: “O bull among the Bharatas, after bringing the Gāṇḍīva and fitting it for use, I bowed to the three-eyed Śarva, whose splendor is immeasurable. O king, the great serpents with flickering tongues served as the divine Lord’s garments, and that Mahādeva—ever compassionate to his devotees—wore a serpent itself as his sacred thread. At the sight of him, all my fear vanished. Then, O best of the Bharatas, I set upon the Gāṇḍīva that dreadful and eternal Pāśupata weapon; having saluted the three-eyed, radiant Lord Śaṅkara, I released it against those chiefs of the Dānavas for their destruction. The moment the weapon was discharged, it manifested in thousands of forms.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Courage and right action are grounded in reverence and alignment with the divine order: Arjuna’s fear dissolves upon beholding Śiva, and only after salutation and inner steadiness does he employ a supreme weapon—suggesting that power must be exercised with humility, devotion, and a dharmic purpose.
Arjuna describes seeing Śiva in a formidable, serpent-adorned form; reassured by the deity’s presence, he mounts the eternal Pāśupata weapon on the Gāṇḍīva and releases it against the Dānava leaders, whereupon the weapon manifests in countless forms.