Shloka 43

Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness

Nivātakavaca engagement

Devanagari script

हित्वा किरातरूपं च भगवांस्त्रिदशे श्वर: । स्वरूपं दिव्यमास्थाय तस्थौ तत्र महेश्वर:,राजन! वास्तवमें वे भगवान्‌ शंकर थे। उन्होंने पूर्वोक्त बर्ताव करके दूसरा रूप धारण कर लिया। देवताओंके स्वामी भगवान्‌ महेश्वर किरातरूप छोड़कर दिव्य स्वरूपका आश्रय ले अलौकिक एवं अद्भुत वस्त्र धारण किये वहाँ खड़े हो गये

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | hitvā kirātarūpaṃ ca bhagavāṃs tridāśeśvaraḥ | svarūpaṃ divyam āsthāya tasthau tatra maheśvaraḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Arjuna: «Entonces el Bienaventurado Señor, soberano de los dioses, dejando a un lado el disfraz de Kirāta (cazador de montaña), asumió su propia forma divina y resplandeciente. Allí, Mahādeva quedó revelado.» En el relato, el episodio subraya que la deidad puede adoptar un disfraz humilde o probatorio para poner a prueba la firmeza del buscador; cuando se demuestra constancia y sinceridad, la presencia divina se manifiesta abiertamente, afirmando que la devoción y el esfuerzo disciplinado transforman éticamente al ser.

Word by Word

• {'arjuna uvāca': 'Arjuna said', 'hitvā': 'having abandoned, casting aside', 'kirātarūpam': 'the form/guise of a Kirāta (hunter of the mountains)', 'bhagavān': 'the Blessed Lord

• a venerable epithet for a deity', 'tridāśa-īśvaraḥ': 'lord of the thirty (gods)

• i.e., ruler of the devas', 'svarūpam': 'one’s own true form', 'divyam': 'divine, radiant, celestial', 'āsthāya': 'having assumed, taking refuge in/entering into', 'tasthau': 'stood, remained', 'tatra': 'there, in that place', 'maheśvaraḥ': 'Mahā-īśvara

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Mahādeva (Śiva, Maheśvara)
• Kirāta (hunter guise)
• Devas (Tridaśa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The divine may appear in an ordinary or challenging guise to test sincerity, humility, and steadfastness; when the seeker’s resolve is proven, grace manifests as clear revelation and empowerment.

What is happening in the narrative?

After appearing as a Kirāta (hunter) and engaging in the preceding encounter, Śiva abandons that disguise and stands revealed in his radiant divine form before Arjuna.