Shloka 32
अग्निभय-प्रसङ्गे मन्दपालस्य शोकः
Mandapāla’s Lament amid the Threat of Fire
गाण्डीवं धनुरादाय तथाक्षय्ये महेषुधी । अहमप्युत्सहे लोकान् विजेतुं युधि पावक,पावक! मैं भी यह गाण्डीव धनुष और ये दोनों बड़े-बड़े अक्षय तरकस लेकर सम्पूर्ण लोकोंको युद्धमें जीत लेनेका उत्साह रखता हूँ
arjuna uvāca | gāṇḍīvaṃ dhanur ādāya tathākṣayyau maheṣudhī | aham apy utsahe lokān vijetuṃ yudhi pāvaka ||
Arjuna said: “Taking up the Gāṇḍīva bow, and likewise these two great, inexhaustible quivers, I too feel the resolve to conquer the worlds in battle, O Pāvaka.” In context, the line conveys a warrior’s surge of confidence grounded in divine-grade weapons and the kṣatriya ideal of prowess, while also hinting at the ethical tension of seeking ‘world-conquest’ through war—an ambition that later Mahābhārata episodes repeatedly test against dharma and restraint.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kṣatriya resolve and the intoxicating confidence that comes from power and superior arms. Ethically, it invites reflection on how martial capability and ambition (‘conquering the worlds’) must be checked by dharma—right purpose, proportionality, and restraint—an enduring Mahābhārata concern.
Arjuna, speaking directly, declares his readiness to take up the Gāṇḍīva and his two inexhaustible quivers and to win victory in battle. He addresses ‘Pāvaka’ (Fire), indicating a dialogue context involving the fire-deity or a figure so named, and emphasizes his surge of martial enthusiasm.