Shloka 9
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
गाण्डीवं धनुरादाय शरांश्वाशीविषोपमान् | सज्यं धनुर्वरं कृत्वा ज्याघोषेण निनादयन्,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--
gāṇḍīvaṃ dhanur ādāya śarāṃś cāśīviṣopamān | sajyaṃ dhanuḥ-varaṃ kṛtvā jyāghoṣeṇa ninādayan ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Taking up the Gāṇḍīva bow and arrows as dreadful as venomous serpents, Arjuna strung that excellent bow and, with the thunder of its bowstring, made the quarters resound—signaling his readiness to meet danger with disciplined valor rather than fear or haste.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣātra-dharma expressed as controlled readiness: Arjuna does not act from panic, but prepares with skill and resolve, letting disciplined strength announce itself before action.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes Arjuna taking up his Gāṇḍīva and deadly arrows, stringing the bow, and making the directions echo with the bowstring’s twang—an emphatic sign that he is prepared to confront the imminent threat.