Shloka 32
Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness
Nivātakavaca engagement
भूय एव महाराज सविशेषमहं ततः । अस्त्रपूगेन महता रणे भूतमवाकिरम्,महाराज! तब मैंने पुनः विशेष प्रयत्न करके रणभूमिमें किरातरूपधारी उस अद्भुत पुरुषपर महान् अस्त्रसमूहकी वर्षा की
bhūya eva mahārāja saviśeṣam ahaṃ tataḥ | astrapūgena mahatā raṇe bhūtam avākiram ||
Arjuna berkata: “Wahai Maharaja, sekali lagi dengan upaya yang lebih sungguh-sungguh, di medan laga aku menghujani makhluk menakjubkan itu—yang mengambil rupa seorang Kirāta—dengan gugusan senjata yang amat besar.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast effort and the kṣatriya ideal of confronting a challenge directly; even when facing an extraordinary opponent, Arjuna renews his exertion rather than yielding to fear or confusion.
Arjuna recounts to the king that he again intensified his attack, raining a large barrage of weapons upon the marvelous Kirāta-formed figure on the battlefield—part of the famed encounter where Śiva tests Arjuna in disguise.