Shloka 7
मुद्गलोपाख्यानम् — व्रीहिद्रोणदानं, दुर्वाससः परीक्षा, स्वर्गगुणप्रश्नः
Mudgala Episode: Rice-measure Charity, Durvāsas’ Test, Inquiry on Heaven
सहस््राणां सहस्राणि प्राहिणोद् यमसादनम् | आग्नेयेनार्जुन: संख्ये गन्धर्वाणां बलोत्कट:,वे अत्यन्त बलवान् थे। उन्होंने उस युद्धमें आग्नेयास्त्रका प्रयोग करके दस लाख गन्धर्वोंकी यमलोक पहुँचा दिया
sahasrāṇāṁ sahasrāṇi prāhiṇod yamasādanam | āgneyenārjunaḥ saṅkhye gandharvāṇāṁ balotkaṭaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: In that battle, Arjuna—mighty in strength—using the Agneya weapon, dispatched thousands upon thousands of Gandharvas to Yama’s abode. The passage underscores the terrible efficiency of divine weaponry in war and the grave moral weight carried by a warrior’s sanctioned use of overwhelming force.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the awe-inspiring but fearsome power of astras: when a warrior employs divine weaponry within the sanctioned frame of battle, the results are decisive yet ethically weighty, reminding readers that martial success can carry immense consequences in terms of life, death, and responsibility.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna, in the midst of combat, uses the Agneya-astra and slays an enormous number of Gandharvas, sending them to Yama’s realm—an image of overwhelming battlefield dominance through a fiery divine weapon.