Shloka 56
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
ततः शक्राशनिसमैर्मुष्टिभिर्भुशदारुणै: । किरातरूपी भगवानर्दयामास फाल्गुनम्,तदनन्तर किरातरूपी भगवान् शिव भी अत्यन्त दारुण और इन्द्रके वज़के समान दुःसह मुक्कोंसे मारकर अर्जुनको पीड़ा देने लगे
tataḥ śakrāśanisamair muṣṭibhir bhūśadāruṇaiḥ | kirātarūpī bhagavān ardayāmāsa phālgunam ||
Then the Blessed Lord, in the form of a Kirāta, began to strike Phālguna (Arjuna) with fists as crushing and unbearable as Indra’s thunderbolt. In that fierce ordeal, Arjuna was made to endure pain and humiliation, that his pride might be broken and his fitness for divine grace and higher weapons tested and refined.
किरयात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual and ethical fitness is proven through endurance and humility: even a great warrior must be tested, have ego challenged, and remain steadfast in tapas and dharma before receiving divine favor.
Śiva, disguised as a Kirāta, intensifies the combat and pummels Arjuna with thunderbolt-like blows, deliberately causing suffering as part of a divine test that will culminate in recognition and the granting of boons/weapons.