Shloka 20
Śārṅgaka-stuti to Agni during the Khāṇḍava Conflagration (शार्ङ्गक-स्तुतिः / अग्नि-स्तुतिः)
उपायं कर्मसिद्धौ च भगवन् वक्तुमहसि । निवारयेयं येनेन्द्रं वर्षमाणं महावने,भगवन्! इस कार्यकी सिद्धिके लिये जो उपाय सम्भव हो, वह मुझे बताइये, जिससे मैं इस महान् वनमें जल बरसाते हुए इन्द्रको रोक सकूँ
arjuna uvāca | upāyaṁ karmasiddhau ca bhagavan vaktum arhasi | nivārayeyaṁ yenendraṁ varṣamāṇaṁ mahāvane ||
Arjuna berkata: “Wahai Bhagavan, mohon jelaskan kepadaku upaya agar tugas ini berhasil—dengan cara apa aku dapat menahan Indra yang menurunkan hujan di rimba besar ini.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined agency within dharma: even when confronting a divine force, one should seek a rightful method (upāya) and act with guidance, aiming at successful completion of a duty-bound task rather than acting impulsively.
Arjuna addresses a revered figure (bhagavan) and requests practical guidance to accomplish a specific mission—namely, to prevent Indra’s rainfall over a great forest—indicating an urgent obstacle posed by a god’s intervention.