Shloka 19
Pātāla-varṇana (Nārada’s Description of the Netherworld) / पातालवर्णनम्
एष गाण्डीमयश्वापो लोकसंहारसम्भूत: । रक्ष्यते दैवतैर्नित्यं यतस्तद् गाण्डिवं धनु:,वज्रकी गाँठको “गाण्डी” कहा गया है। यह धनुष उसीका बना हुआ है, इसलिये गाण्डीव कहलाता है। जगत्का संहार करनेके लिये इसका निर्माण हुआ है। देवतालोग सदा इसकी रक्षा करते हैं
eṣa gāṇḍīmayaśvāpo lokasaṃhārasambhūtaḥ | rakṣyate daivatair nityaṃ yatas tad gāṇḍīvaṃ dhanuḥ ||
Kaṇva dijo: «Éste es el arco llamado Gāṇḍīva, nacido para la destrucción del mundo en el tiempo de la disolución cósmica. Por esa misma razón los dioses lo custodian sin cesar. No es un arma para la vanidad, sino un instrumento protegido por lo divino, cuyo uso debe regirse por el dharma».
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power—especially divinely sanctioned power—must be treated as a trust, not as personal glory. A weapon capable of vast destruction is guarded by the gods, implying that its rightful use is constrained by dharma and cosmic order.
Kaṇva identifies and praises the bow Gāṇḍīva, describing its extraordinary, cosmic origin and stating that divine beings constantly protect it—underscoring its unique status among weapons in the lead-up to the great conflict.