Shloka 16
अर्जुनस्य इन्द्रकीलगमनम् तथा शक्रसाक्षात्कारः
Arjuna’s journey to Indrakīla and encounter with Indra
ततः प्रयाते कौन्तेये वनं मानुषवर्जितम् । शड़्खानां पटहानां च शब्द: समभवद् दिवि,तदनन्तर कुन्तीनन्दन अर्जुनके उस निर्जन वनमें पहुँचते ही आकाशमें शंखों और नगाड़ोंका गम्भीर घोष गूँज उठा
tataḥ prayāte kaunteye vanaṁ mānuṣavarjitam | śaṅkhānāṁ paṭahānāṁ ca śabdaḥ samabhavad divi ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Cuando Arjuna, hijo de Kuntī, hubo partido y alcanzó aquel bosque desierto de hombres, se alzó en el cielo un clamor profundo y resonante de caracolas y tambores de guerra—señal a la vez ominosa y majestuosa, como si poderes invisibles marcasen su llegada y la gravedad de su empresa.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a dharmic undertaking by a disciplined hero is accompanied by signs that elevate the act beyond the merely personal. The celestial sound suggests that righteous effort draws the attention of higher powers and that major vows or quests carry moral and cosmic weight.
As Arjuna reaches an uninhabited forest, a powerful sound of conches and war-drums is heard in the sky. This functions as an omen or announcement, indicating the presence or acknowledgement of divine or unseen beings at the moment of his arrival.