Shloka 20
Śiva Grants the Pāśupata Astra (Pāśupata-Śastra Upadeśa) | शिवेन पाशुपतास्त्रदानम्
क्षत्रं चाग्निसमस्पर्श भारद्वाजेन रक्षितम् | दानवाश्च महावीर्या ये मनुष्यत्वमागता:
kṣatraṃ cāgnisamasparśa bhāradvājena rakṣitam | dānavāś ca mahāvīryā ye manuṣyatvam āgatāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “And the Kṣatra power—untouchable like fire—was safeguarded by Bhāradvāja. And there were also mighty Dānavas who had come to the state of being human.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power (kṣatra) is inherently dangerous—likened to fire—and therefore must be safeguarded and regulated by wisdom and discipline, here represented by the sage Bhāradvāja. The verse also hints that extraordinary forces (Dānavas) can enter human society, implying that ethical vigilance is needed because appearances may conceal formidable natures.
Vaiśampāyana continues the account by stating that the formidable Kṣatriya potency was protected under Bhāradvāja’s guardianship, and that powerful Dānavas had taken on human status—introducing a background where royal power and non-human lineages intersect within the human world.