Shloka 7
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
स संनिकर्षमागम्य पार्थस्याक्लिष्टकर्मण: । मूक नाम दनो: पुत्र ददर्शाद्भुतदर्शनम्,अनायास ही महान पराक्रम करनेवाले कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुके निकट आकर भगवान् शंकरने अद्भुत दीखनेवाले मूक नामक अद्भुत दानवको देखा, जो सूअरका रूप धारण करके अत्यन्त तेजस्वी अर्जुनको मार डालनेका उपाय सोच रहा था; उस समय अर्जुनने गाण्डीव धनुष और विषैले सर्पोके समान भयंकर बाण हाथ-में ले धनुषपर प्रत्यंचा चढ़ाकर उसकी टंकारसे दिशाओंको प्रतिध्वनित करके कहा--
sa saṁnikarṣam āgamya pārthasyākliṣṭa-karmaṇaḥ | mūko nāma danōḥ putro dadarśādbhuta-darśanam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Drawing near to Pārtha (Arjuna), whose deeds are never wearisome, Śaṅkara beheld the wondrously fearsome being—Mūka, the son of Danu. Having assumed the form of a boar, he was devising a means to strike down the radiant Arjuna.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic test: a steadfast hero is confronted by a hidden threat, while the divine observes. It highlights vigilance, courage, and the idea that extraordinary challenges can be instruments of divine examination and spiritual maturation.
Śiva (Śaṅkara) comes near Arjuna and sees the Dānava Mūka, son of Danu, who has taken a boar’s form and is plotting to kill Arjuna—setting up the imminent confrontation central to the Arjuna–Śiva testing episode.