Shloka 49
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
प्रगृह्या थ धनुष्कोट्या ज्यापाशेनावकृष्य च | मुष्टिभिश्चापि हतवान् वज्रकल्पैर्महाद्युति:,ऐसा विचारकर महातेजस्वी अर्जुनने किरातको अपने धनुषकी कोटिसे पकड़कर उसकी प्रत्यंचामें उसके शरीरको फँसाकर खींचा और वज्रके समान दुः:सह मुष्टिप्रहारसे पीड़ित करना प्रारम्भ किया
pragṛhyātha dhanuṣkoṭyā jyāpāśenāvakṛṣya ca | muṣṭibhiścāpi hatavān vajrakalpair mahādyutiḥ ||
Con tal pensamiento, el héroe resplandeciente lo asió por la punta de su arco y, con la cuerda como si fuera un lazo, lo arrastró hacia sí; luego comenzó a golpearlo con puños duros como rayos. La escena subraya la férrea determinación y la destreza disciplinada de Arjuna en combate, a la vez que pone a prueba la frontera entre la fuerza justa y la ira desbocada.
किरयात उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined strength: a warrior’s power must be effective yet governed by purpose. In the broader Kirāta episode, Arjuna’s prowess is tested so that his valor is refined into fitness for divine aid—strength aligned with dharma rather than mere aggression.
In the confrontation with the Kirāta (hunter), Arjuna closes in physically: he grips the opponent using the bow’s end and pulls him with the bowstring like a noose, then delivers heavy, thunderbolt-like punches, escalating the struggle from weapons to close combat.