Shloka 30
साध्य॑ पैतामहं चैव गन्धर्वोरगरक्षसाम् | वैष्णवानि च सर्वाणि नैर्ऋलतानि तथैव च
sādhyāḥ paitāmahaṃ caiva gandharvoragarakṣasām | vaiṣṇavāni ca sarvāṇi nairṛtāni tathaiva ca
Arjuna said: “(I know) the rites and observances belonging to the Sādhyas and to Pitāmaha (Brahmā), as well as those connected with the Gandharvas, Nāgas, and Rākṣasas; and likewise all the Vaiṣṇava rites, and the Nairṛta (dark, destructive) ones too.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights comprehensive spiritual and ritual literacy: Arjuna claims familiarity with diverse traditions—celestial, creator-associated, serpent and spirit realms, Vaiṣṇava devotion, and even darker Nairṛta practices—implying that discernment and mastery of knowledge across domains can be relevant when confronting complex moral and practical challenges.
Arjuna is speaking in a context where competence and preparedness matter; he asserts that he knows a wide range of ritual or mantra-based systems associated with different classes of beings and deities, presenting himself as equipped to deal with varied supernatural or extraordinary situations.