Shloka 29
Indrajit’s Binding, Restoration by Viśalyā, and Counsel Restraining Rāvaṇa (Āraṇyaka Parva 273)
ऋते<र्जुनं महाबाहुं नरं नाम सुरेश्वरम् । बदर्या तप्ततपसं नारायणसहायकम्,जनमेजय! भगवानने उसे वर दिया और जयद्रथने उसको ग्रहण किया। वह वर क्या था? यह बताता हूँ, सुनो--“मैं रथसहित पाँचों पाण्डवोंको युद्धमें जीत लूँ”. यही वर सिन्धुराजने महादेवजीसे माँगा। परंतु महादेवजीने उससे कहा--'ऐसा नहीं हो सकता। पाण्डव अजेय और अवध्य हैं। तुम केवल एक दिन युद्धमें महाबाहु अर्जुनको छोड़कर अन्य चार पाण्डवोंको आगे बढ़नेसे रोक सकते हो। देवेश्वर नर, जो बदरिकाश्रममें भगवान् नारायणके साथ रहकर तपस्या करते हैं, वे ही अर्जुन हैं
ṛte 'rjunaṃ mahābāhuṃ naraṃ nāma sureśvaram | badaryā tapta-tapasaṃ nārāyaṇa-sahāyakam, janamejaya |
Bhīmasena said: “Except for Arjuna—the mighty-armed one who is the divine being called Nara, lord among the gods—who in Badarī dwells with Nārāyaṇa as his companion and performs intense austerities, O Janamejaya.” In context, Bhīma recalls the boon Jayadratha received: he could check the advance of the four Pāṇḍavas for a single day, but not overcome Arjuna. The passage underscores a moral boundary placed even upon a granted boon: divine power does not sanction the impossible (the defeat of the invincible), and arrogance is curtailed by dharma and cosmic order.
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when divine boons are granted, they operate within dharma and the limits of what is ordained: prideful wishes are curtailed, and true invincibility is tied to righteousness and divine support. Arjuna’s identification with Nara, companion of Nārāyaṇa, signals that spiritual stature and divine alignment underpin worldly victory.
Bhīma explains that Jayadratha received a boon connected to restraining the Pāṇḍavas in battle, but with a crucial exception: he could not overcome Arjuna. Bhīma emphasizes Arjuna’s divine identity as Nara, performing austerities at Badarī with Nārāyaṇa, to explain why Arjuna stands beyond the boon’s reach.