Shloka 28
Chapter 40: Śiva in Kirāta Disguise Tests Arjuna
Mūka-vadha and the Contest
ततः शुभं गिरिवरमी श्वरस्तदा सहोमया सिततटसानुकन्दरम् | विहाय त॑ पतगमहर्षिसेवितं जगाम खं पुरुषवरस्य पश्यत:,जिसके तट, शिखर और कन्दराएँ हिमाच्छादित होनेके कारण श्वेत दिखायी देती हैं, पक्षी और महर्षिगण सदा जिसका सेवन करते हैं, उस मंगलमय गिरिश्रेष्ठ इन्द्रकीलको छोड़कर भगवान् शंकर भगवती उमादेवीके साथ अर्जुनके देखते-देखते आकाशमार्गसे चले गये
tataḥ śubhaṃ girivaram īśvaras tadā sahomayā sitataṭasānukandaram | vihāya taṃ patagamahārṣisevitaṃ jagāma khaṃ puruṣavarasya paśyataḥ ||
Luego el Señor, acompañado de Umā, dejó aquella montaña auspiciosa, la mejor de todas—Indrakīla—cuyas laderas, cumbres y cavernas resplandecían blancas por la nieve, siempre frecuentadas por aves y grandes rishis. Ante la mirada de Arjuna, Śaṅkara partió por la senda del cielo.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Divine grace follows disciplined effort: after testing and blessing the devotee, the deity withdraws, leaving the hero to uphold dharma through self-controlled action and responsibility rather than dependence on continued divine presence.
Śiva (Śaṅkara), accompanied by Umā, leaves the sacred Indrakīla mountain—snow-bright and frequented by birds and sages—departing through the sky as Arjuna watches, signaling the end of the encounter and the transition back to Arjuna’s mission.