Shloka 162
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
यदाश्रौषमर्जुन देवदेवं किरातरूपं त्र्यम्बकं तोष्य युद्धे । अवाप्तवन्तं पाशुपतं महास्त्र तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,संजय! जब मैंने सुना कि किरातवेषधारी देवदेव त्रिलोचन महादेवको युद्धमें संतुष्ट करके अर्जुनने पाशुपत नामक महान् अस्त्र प्राप्त कर लिया है, तभी मेरी आशा निराशामें परिणत हो गयी
yadāśrauṣam arjuna devadevaṁ kirātarūpaṁ tryambakaṁ toṣya yuddhe | avāptavantaṁ pāśupataṁ mahāstraṁ tadā nāśaṁse vijayāya sañjaya ||
When I heard, O Sañjaya, that Arjuna had pleased the God of gods—Tryambaka (Śiva), who had assumed the form of a Kirāta—amidst the ordeal of combat, and had obtained the great weapon called Pāśupata, then my hope for victory collapsed into despair. The report signals that divine favor and disciplined devotion have armed the Pāṇḍavas with an overwhelming, dharma-backed power that mere human strategy cannot easily counter.
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that victory in a dharmic struggle is not secured by numbers or tactics alone; divine favor—earned through discipline, courage, and devotion—can decisively shift outcomes. It also implies ethical restraint: the greatest powers (like the Pāśupata) are not mere tools of ambition but carry moral responsibility.
The speaker reports hearing that Arjuna pleased Śiva, who tested him in the guise of a Kirāta (hunter), and received the formidable Pāśupata weapon. This news causes the speaker’s confidence in his side’s victory to turn into despair, recognizing the Pāṇḍavas’ strengthened, divinely sanctioned might.