Shloka 3
Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness
Nivātakavaca engagement
कथमर्जुन कालो<यं स्वर्गे व्यतिगतस्तव । कथं चास्त्राण्यवाप्तानि देवराजश्न तोषित:,“अर्जुन! स्वर्गमें तुम्हारा यह समय किस प्रकार बीता? कैसे तुमने दिव्यास्त्र प्राप्त किये और कैसे देवराज इन्द्रको संतुष्ट किया?
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: katham arjuna kālo 'yaṃ svarge vyatigatas tava | kathaṃ cāstrāṇy avāptāni devarājaś ca toṣitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Arjuna, how did this period of yours pass in heaven? How did you obtain the divine weapons, and in what way did you satisfy Indra, the king of the gods?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical principle that extraordinary power (divine weapons) is not merely seized but earned through right conduct and the favor of rightful authority—here symbolized by pleasing Indra. It frames martial capability as accountable to dharma and divine sanction.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana poses a set of questions about Arjuna’s sojourn in heaven: how he spent his time there, how he gained celestial weapons, and how he won Indra’s satisfaction—setting up the account of Arjuna’s heavenly experiences and acquisition of astras.