Shloka 65
Jabali Bound by the Monkey — Jabali Bound by the Monkey: Nandayanti’s Ordeal and the Yamuna–Hiranyavati Sacred Corridor
तं हि मोचयितुं नान्यः शक्तस्त्वत्तदनयादृते शकुनिर्नाम राजेन्द्र स ह्यस्त्रविधिपारगः
taṃ hi mocayituṃ nānyaḥ śaktastvattadanayādṛte śakunirnāma rājendra sa hyastravidhipāragaḥ
“Indeed, no one else is capable of releasing him, except by your bringing that person. O king, there is one named Śakuni; he is fully proficient in the procedures of sacred missiles (astravidhi).”}]}
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FAQs
Here Śakuni functions as a technical expert ‘astravidhi-pāragaḥ’ (master of missile-procedures). The verse does not identify him with the Mahābhārata’s Śakuni; it is best read as a local/independent figure sharing the same name, defined by his competence rather than genealogy.
Astravidhi is not merely weapon-handling; it includes the correct invocation, deployment, and—crucially—withdrawal/neutralization of astras. Hence, the ability to ‘release’ someone from a binding situation can depend on knowing the counter-procedure to a weapon/curse-like restraint.
The line frames the king as the necessary agent to summon or dispatch the specialist. In Purāṇic storytelling, royal authority often provides the logistical and social power to mobilize rare experts for extraordinary crises.