Shloka 30
अर्जुनस्य इन्द्रकीलगमनम् तथा शक्रसाक्षात्कारः
Arjuna’s journey to Indrakīla and encounter with Indra
उग्रे तपसि दुष्पारे स्थितो धूमाययन् दिश: । तस्य देवेश न वयं विद्यः सर्वे चिकीर्षितम्,उन्होंने महादेवजीको प्रणाम करके अर्जुनका वह तपरूप कर्म कह सुनाया। वे बोले --“भगवन्! ये महातेजस्वी कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुन हिमालयके पृष्ठभागमें स्थित हो अपार एवं उग्र तपस्यामें संलग्न हैं और सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंको धूमाच्छादित कर रहे हैं। देवेश्वर! वे क्या करना चाहते हैं, इस विषयमें हमलोगोंमेंसे कोई कुछ नहीं जानता है
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: ugre tapasi duṣpāre sthito dhūmāyayan diśaḥ | tasya deveśa na vayaṁ vidmaḥ sarve cikīrṣitam |
Vaiśampāyana said: “Engaged in a fierce and arduous austerity, he stands there, as though filling the quarters with smoke. O Lord of the gods, none of us knows what that one intends to accomplish.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Intense tapas can shake the worlds and draw divine attention, but the ethical focus remains on intention (cikīrṣitam): power gained through austerity must be guided by a righteous purpose, not mere ambition.
The narrator reports that Arjuna is performing severe austerities in the Himalayas, so intense that it seems to smoke-cover the directions. The speaker addresses the divine lord, admitting that they do not know Arjuna’s specific aim.