Shloka 31
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 29 — Arjuna’s defeat of Vṛṣaka–Acalā and the neutralization of Śakuni’s māyā
देवानां दानवानां च अवध्यस्तनयोडस्तु मे । उपेतो वैष्णवास्त्रेण तन्मे त्वं दातुमहसि,“मेरा पुत्र वैष्णवास्त्रसे सम्पन्न होकर देवताओं और दानवोंके लिये अवध्य हो जाय, इसलिये आप कृपापूर्वक मुझे वह अपना अस्त्र प्रदान करें!
devānāṁ dānavānāṁ ca avadhyas tanayo 'stu me | upeto vaiṣṇavāstreṇa tan me tvaṁ dātum arhasi ||
Sanjaya said: “May my son become invulnerable to both gods and Dānavas by being endowed with the Vaiṣṇava weapon. Therefore, you ought to grant me that weapon of yours, out of favor.” The request reflects a desire to secure absolute protection and supremacy for one’s own lineage through divine force, raising the ethical tension between personal attachment and the responsible restraint required in the use and transmission of extraordinary weapons.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral risk of seeking invulnerability and dominance for one’s own kin through extraordinary power. It implicitly points to the dharmic need for restraint: divine weapons are not merely tools of advantage but burdens of responsibility, and personal attachment can distort judgment about their rightful use or transmission.
A speaker petitions another person to bestow the Vaiṣṇava weapon so that his son may become unslayable even by gods and Dānavas. The request frames a strategic and emotional motive—securing the son’s supremacy and safety—within the larger wartime context of acquiring celestial weapons.