Shloka 21

Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)

Devanagari script

इसी प्रकार हृषीकेशने पाताल-निवासी पंचजन नामक दैत्यको युद्धमें मारकर दिव्य पाज्चजन्य शंख प्राप्त किया ।। खाण्डवे पार्थसहितस्तोषयित्वा हुताशनम्‌ । आग्नेयमस्त्रं दुर्धर्ष चक्र लेभे महाबल:,खाण्डव वनमें अर्जुनके साथ अग्निदेवको संतुष्ट करके महाबली श्रीकृष्णने दुर्धर्ष आग्नेय अस्त्र चक्रको प्राप्त किया था

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

khāṇḍave pārthasahitastōṣayitvā hutāśanam |

āgneyam astram durdharṣaṃ cakra lebhe mahābalaḥ ||

iti prakāraṃ hṛṣīkeśena pātāla-nivāsī pañcajana-nāmā daityo yuddhe hataḥ, divyaḥ pāñcajanya-śaṅkhaś ca prāptaḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: In the Khāṇḍava forest, the mighty Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa), together with Pārtha (Arjuna), pleased the Fire-god. Having satisfied Agni, he obtained the formidable Agneya weapon in the form of the discus. In the same manner, he had earlier slain in battle the underworld-dwelling demon named Pañcajana and thereby acquired the divine conch called Pāñcajanya. The passage underscores that divine weapons and emblems are not mere ornaments of war but are gained through decisive action aligned with cosmic order—protecting the world and supporting righteous allies.

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'khāṇḍave': 'in the Khāṇḍava (forest)', 'pārtha-sahitaḥ': 'together with Pārtha (Arjuna)', 'toṣayitvā': 'having pleased, having satisfied', 'hutāśanam': "the Fire-god (Agni), literally 'eater of oblations'", 'āgneyam astram': 'the Agneya weapon (fire-related divine missile/weapon)', 'durdharṣam': 'hard to assail, formidable, irresistible', 'cakram': 'discus (cakra), a wheel-like weapon', 'lebhe': 'obtained, received', 'mahābalaḥ': 'of great strength, mighty', 'hṛṣīkeśa': "Hṛṣīkeśa, epithet of Kṛṣṇa ('lord of the senses')", 'pātāla-nivāsī': 'dwelling in Pātāla (the netherworld)', 'pañcajana-nāmā': 'named Pañcajana', 'daityaḥ': 'a Daitya (demonic being, enemy of the gods)', 'yuddhe hataḥ': 'slain in battle', 'divyaḥ': 'divine, celestial', 'pāñcajanya-śaṅkhaḥ': 'the conch named Pāñcajanya'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa)
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Khāṇḍava forest
• Hutāśana (Agni)
• Agneya astra
• Cakra (discus)
• Pātāla
• Pañcajana (Daitya)
• Pāñcajanya (conch)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power and sacred authority are portrayed as earned through actions that uphold cosmic balance—serving rightful allies, restraining destructive forces, and aligning with divine purpose—rather than through mere possession or status.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana recalls how Kṛṣṇa, alongside Arjuna, satisfied Agni in the Khāṇḍava forest and received a formidable fire-associated weapon in the form of a discus; he also notes Kṛṣṇa’s earlier slaying of the Daitya Pañcajana in Pātāla, by which Kṛṣṇa obtained the divine conch Pāñcajanya.