Shloka 15
ततो5शनिमुचो घोरांस्तडित्स्तनितनि:स्वनान् | तद्विघातार्थमसृजदर्जुनो 5प्यस्त्रमुत्तमम्
tato ’śanimuco ghorāṁs taḍit-stanita-niḥsvanān | tad-vighātārtham asṛjad arjuno ’py astram uttamam vāyavyam ||
Alors les nuées d’orage, terribles de foudre et du fracas du tonnerre, se mirent à lancer des traits sur la terre. Pour parer cette attaque, Arjuna—versé dans la science qui neutralise les armes—consacra et déchaîna l’excellent projectile nommé Vāyavya; par lui furent anéantis la force et l’ardeur du vajra d’Indra ainsi que des nuages de tempête.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power must be matched with discernment: Arjuna does not respond with indiscriminate destruction but with a precise counter-weapon suited to neutralize the threat. The episode highlights disciplined mastery (astra-vidyā) and proportional response—strength guided by control.
A violent storm—associated with Indra’s thunderbolt—assails the scene with lightning and thunder. Arjuna, competent in the lore of weapons and their counteractions, deploys the Vāyavya astra (wind-weapon) to disperse the clouds and nullify the thunderbolt’s power.