Shloka 5
उलूकदूतवाक्यम् / Ulūka’s Message to the Pāṇḍavas
त्रीण्येवैतनि दिव्यानि धनूंषि दिवि चारिणाम् । वारुणं गाण्डिवं तत्र माहेन्द्रं विजयं धनु: । शार्ज्ज तु वैष्णवं प्राहुर्दिव्यं तेजोमयं धनु:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
trīṇy evaitāni divyāni dhanūṃṣi divi cāriṇām |
vāruṇaṃ gāṇḍīvaṃ tatra māhendraṃ vijayaṃ dhanuḥ |
śārṅgaṃ tu vaiṣṇavaṃ prāhur divyaṃ tejomayaṃ dhanuḥ ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Entre los dioses que recorren el cielo, sólo estos tres arcos son tenidos por verdaderamente divinos. De ellos, el Gāṇḍīva es de Varuṇa; el arco Vijaya pertenece a Mahendra (Indra), rey de los dioses; y el resplandeciente arco divino llamado Śārṅga se declara como de Viṣṇu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames extraordinary martial power as divinely sanctioned and limited to a few supreme weapons, implying that force must be aligned with rightful authority and cosmic order (dharma), not mere personal ambition.
Vaiśampāyana identifies and ranks three famed celestial bows and their divine owners—Gāṇḍīva (Varuṇa), Vijaya (Indra), and Śārṅga (Viṣṇu)—highlighting the sacred pedigree of key weapons relevant to the coming conflict.