Shloka 12
Ananta-Śeṣa Tapas and the Bearing of the Earth (अनन्त-शेष-तपस् तथा महीधारणम्)
वर्मिणो विबुधा: सर्वे नानाशस्त्रैरवाकिरन् । पट्टिशै: परिघै: शूलैर्गदाभिश्व सवासवा:,शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले पक्षिराज बड़े पराक्रमी थे। वे आकाशमें बहुत ऊँचे उड़ गये। उड़कर अन्तरिक्षमें देवताओंके ऊपर (ठीक सिरकी सीधमें) खड़े हो गये। उस समय कवच धारण किये इन्द्र आदि सम्पूर्ण देवता उनपर पट्टिश, परिघ, शूल और गदा आदि नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंद्वारा प्रहार करने लगे
śaunaka uvāca | varmiṇo vibudhāḥ sarve nānāśastrair avākiran | paṭṭiśaiḥ parighaiḥ śūlair gadābhiś ca savāsavāḥ ||
Śaunaka said: All the gods, clad in armor and led by Vāsava (Indra), showered him with many kinds of weapons—battle-axes, iron clubs, tridents, and maces. The scene underscores how even the divine, when threatened, may resort to force, setting the stage for a moral tension between might and rightful conduct in the unfolding narrative.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata theme: even exalted beings can be driven to violence by fear or rivalry, so ethical discernment (dharma) is not guaranteed by status; it must be consciously upheld, especially when power is available.
Śaunaka describes the gods, led by Indra, attacking the airborne opponent by raining down multiple weapons—axes, clubs, tridents, and maces—intensifying the battle episode in Adi Parva.