Shloka 18
Arjuna meets the Lokapālas, is tested by Indra, and is led to Amarāvatī for astra-śikṣā
Indraloka-gamana
ब्रहद्मण: सदनात् तस्य परं स्थान प्रकाशते । देवा अपि न पश्यन्ति सर्वतेजोमयं शुभम्,“जो समस्त प्राणियोंकी पञ्चभूतमयी प्रकृतिके अक्षय उपादान हैं, जिन्हें ज्ञानी पुरुष अनादि अनन्त दिव्य-स्वरूप परम प्रभु नारायण कहते हैं, उनका उत्तम स्थान उस ब्रह्मलोकसे भी ऊपर प्रकाशित हो रहा है। देवता भी उन सर्वतेजोमय शुभस्वरूप भगवान्का सहज ही दर्शन नहीं कर पाते। राजन! परमात्मा विष्णुका वह स्थान सूर्य और अग्निसे भी अधिक तेजस्वी है और अपनी ही प्रभासे प्रकाशित होता है। देवताओं और दानवोंके लिये उसका दर्शन अत्यन्त कठिन है
bṛhadmaṇaḥ sadanāt tasya paraṃ sthānaṃ prakāśate | devā api na paśyanti sarvatejomayaṃ śubham |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Beyond that vast Brahmā-world, an even higher abode of Him shines forth. Even the gods do not behold that auspicious form made wholly of radiance. It is self-luminous, surpassing the brilliance of the sun and fire, and its vision is exceedingly difficult for both gods and demons.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the transcendence of the Supreme Lord’s abode: it lies beyond even Brahmā’s realm and is so purely radiant and self-manifest that ordinary divine perception cannot easily reach it. The ethical implication is humility before the highest reality and the recognition that spiritual realization surpasses mere celestial status.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a supreme, higher-than-Brahmaloka divine station. He stresses its overwhelming brilliance and the difficulty even gods face in beholding it, reinforcing the exceptional, transcendent nature of the Supreme Lord referenced in the surrounding passage.