Shloka 38
Indrajit’s Binding, Restoration by Viśalyā, and Counsel Restraining Rāvaṇa (Āraṇyaka Parva 273)
सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुष: स्वप्तुकामस्त्वतीन्द्रिय: । फटासहस्रविकटं शेषं पर्यड्कभाजनम्
sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ svaptukāmas tv atīndriyaḥ | phaṭāsahasravikaṭaṃ śeṣaṃ paryaḍkabhājanam ||
Bhīmasena said: “That transcendent Person, of a thousand heads, desiring to sleep beyond the reach of the senses, has the mighty Śeṣa—terrible with his thousand hoods—as His couch and resting-bed.”
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the transcendence of the Supreme Person (atīndriya—beyond sensory grasp) and conveys divine sovereignty through cosmic imagery: even the vast Śeṣa with a thousand hoods serves as His couch, underscoring reverence and the smallness of worldly power before the divine.
Bhīma describes a vision/description of the supreme cosmic Person resting, portraying Śeṣa (Ananta) as the immense serpent-bed. The statement functions as a devotional and awe-filled depiction of divine grandeur within the Vana Parva context.