Shloka 24

अर्जुनागमनम्

Arjuna’s Arrival and Reunion on the Sacred Mountain

Devanagari script

त्वद्वाहुबलवेगेन त्रासिता: सर्वराक्षसा: । हित्वा शैलं प्रपद्यन्तां भीमसेन दिशो दश,'भीमसेन! मैं चाहती हूँ कि तुम्हारे बाहुबलके वेगसे थर्राकर सम्पूर्ण राक्षस इस पर्वतको छोड़ दें और दसों दिशाओंकी शरण लें

Transliteration

tvad-bāhu-bala-vegena trāsitāḥ sarva-rākṣasāḥ | hitvā śailaṁ prapadyantāṁ bhīmasena diśo daśa ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “May all the rākṣasas, terrified by the surge of strength in your arms, abandon this mountain and flee for refuge to the ten directions, O Bhīmasena.” The line underscores the ethical use of power as protective force—strength employed to drive away predatory violence and restore safety rather than to indulge cruelty.

Word by Word

त्वत्of you/your

बाहुबलवेगेनby the force/impetus of (your) arm-strength

त्रासिताःfrightened/terrified

सर्वराक्षसाःall the rākṣasas (demons)

हित्वाhaving abandoned/left

शैलम्the mountain

प्रपद्यन्ताम्let them resort to / let them flee to

भीमसेनO Bhīmasena

दिशःdirections

दशten

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bhīmasena (Bhīma)

Rākṣasas

Śaila (mountain)

Daśa diśaḥ (the ten directions)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power is ethically meaningful when it functions as deterrence against harm—strength used to protect and restore order, compelling violent forces to withdraw rather than glorifying needless destruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker expresses a wish/command that the rākṣasas, shaken by Bhīma’s arm-strength and momentum, abandon the mountain and scatter in flight to all directions, indicating Bhīma’s role as a formidable protector against hostile beings.