Shloka 41
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
न हि मद्बाणजालानामुत्सृष्टानां सहस्रश: । शक्तो<न्य: सहितुं वेगमृते देवं पिनाकिनम्,“मैंने सहस्नों बार जिन बाण-समूहोंकी वृष्टि की है, उनका वेग पिनाकधारी भगवान् शंकरके सिवा दूसरा कोई नहीं सह सकता
na hi madbāṇajālānām utsṛṣṭānāṁ sahasraśaḥ | śakto 'nyaḥ sahituṁ vegam ṛte devaṁ pinākinam ||
“Indeed, of the countless volleys of arrows I have released again and again, no one else has the power to endure their force—none except the divine Lord who bears the Pināka (Śiva).”
किरयात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest martial prowess has limits; ultimate power belongs to the divine. The verse underscores humility and recognition of Śiva’s supremacy, framing heroism as meaningful when aligned with reverence and self-restraint.
The Kirāta (a hunter figure) boasts that the force of his arrow-volleys cannot be endured by anyone—except Śiva, the Pināka-bearing lord—highlighting that the opponent being faced is no ordinary being and foreshadowing divine testing and revelation.