Shloka 22
Chapter 40: Śiva in Kirāta Disguise Tests Arjuna
Mūka-vadha and the Contest
ततश्नचाल पृथिवी सपर्वतवनद्रुमा | ससागरवनोद्देशा सग्रामनगराकरा,अर्जुनके पाशुपतास्त्र ग्रहण करते ही पर्वत, वन, वृक्ष, समुद्र, वनस्थली, ग्राम, नगर तथा आबकरों (खानों) सहित सारी पृथ्वी काँप उठी
tataś cacāla pṛthivī sa-parvata-vana-drumā | sa-sāgara-vanoddeśā sa-grāma-nagarākarā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the earth trembled—together with its mountains, forests, and trees; with its seas and woodland tracts; with its villages, cities, and mines. This cosmic shaking marks the extraordinary, divinely sanctioned moment when Arjuna received the Pāśupata weapon, signaling that immense power has entered the moral field of the epic and must be borne with restraint and dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When divine power is granted, nature itself is portrayed as responding; the epic implies that such power is not merely technical prowess but a moral burden. The tremor functions as a warning-sign: weapons of extraordinary force must be governed by dharma, self-control, and right purpose.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a portent: the entire earth—mountains, forests, seas, settlements, and mines—trembles. In context, this accompanies Arjuna’s obtaining of the Pāśupata weapon, emphasizing the moment’s cosmic significance.