Shloka 52
निवातकवचवधः — Arjuna’s Neutralization of the Nivātakavacas
Vajra-astra deployment
विमानगामिन श्षात्र दृश्यन्ते बहवोम्बरे । ततो<पश्यं वसून् रुद्रान् साध्यांशक्ष समरुद्गणान्
vimānagāminaḥ kṣatrāḥ dṛśyante bahavo 'mbare | tato 'paśyaṃ vasūn rudrān sādhyāṃś ca samarudgaṇān ||
Arjuna said: “In the sky I see many kṣatriya heroes moving in celestial chariots. Then I beheld the Vasus, the Rudras, and the Sādhyas, together with the hosts of the Maruts.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that heroic and righteous action (especially within the kṣatriya code) is believed to lead to exalted states, symbolized by celestial travel and proximity to divine hosts; it frames moral merit as having cosmic recognition.
Arjuna reports a visionary sight: numerous warrior-heroes moving through the heavens in vimānas, followed by his perception of major classes of Vedic deities—Vasus, Rudras, Sādhyas—and the Marut hosts—indicating an encounter with a higher, celestial sphere.