Shloka 18
Arjuna meets the Lokapālas, is tested by Indra, and is led to Amarāvatī for astra-śikṣā
Indraloka-gamana
ब्रहद्मण: सदनात् तस्य परं स्थान प्रकाशते । देवा अपि न पश्यन्ति सर्वतेजोमयं शुभम्
bṛhadmaṇaḥ sadanāt tasya paraṃ sthānaṃ prakāśate | devā api na paśyanti sarvatejomayaṃ śubham |
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «Au-delà de ce vaste monde de Brahmā, resplendit une demeure plus haute encore, la Sienne. Même les dieux ne contemplent pas aisément cette forme de bon augure, tout entière faite de lumière. Elle est lumineuse par elle-même, surpassant l’éclat du soleil et du feu, et sa vision est d’une extrême difficulté pour les dieux comme pour les démons.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the transcendence of the Supreme Lord’s abode: it lies beyond even Brahmā’s realm and is so purely radiant and self-manifest that ordinary divine perception cannot easily reach it. The ethical implication is humility before the highest reality and the recognition that spiritual realization surpasses mere celestial status.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a supreme, higher-than-Brahmaloka divine station. He stresses its overwhelming brilliance and the difficulty even gods face in beholding it, reinforcing the exceptional, transcendent nature of the Supreme Lord referenced in the surrounding passage.