Shloka 39
Lokapāla-samāgamaḥ—Arjuna Receives Astras from the World-Guardians
Book 3, Chapter 42
ततो<पश्यत् स्थितं द्वारि शुभं वैजयिनं गजम्,तदनन्तर अर्जुनने स्वर्गद्वारपर खड़े हुए सुन्दर विजयी गजराज ऐरावतको देखा, जिसके चार दाँत बाहर निकले हुए थे। वह ऐसा जान पड़ता था, मानो अनेक शिखरोंसे सुशोभित कैलास पर्वत हो। कुरु-पाण्डव-शिरोमणि अर्जुन सिद्धोंके मार्गपर आकर वैसे ही शोभा पाने लगे, जैसे पूर्वकालमें भूपालशिरोमणि मान्धाता सुशोभित होते थे। कमलनयन अर्जुनने उन पुण्यात्मा राजाओंके लोकोंमें भ्रमण किया
tato ’paśyat sthitaṃ dvāri śubhaṃ vaijayinaṃ gajam |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then he saw, stationed at the gate, a splendid, victorious elephant. In the narrative context, this marks Arjuna’s approach to the celestial threshold, where merit and divine order are symbolized by a guardian presence; ethically, it underscores that entry into higher realms is portrayed as regulated by auspicious signs and rightful attainment rather than mere force.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage suggests that access to higher, divine realms is depicted as governed by auspicious order and earned merit: the ‘gate’ and its splendid guardian symbolize that spiritual or celestial attainment is approached through rightful qualification, not through coercion.
As Arjuna nears the celestial threshold, he sees a splendid, victorious elephant stationed at the gate—understood in context as Airāvata at the gate of heaven—signaling his arrival at a divine boundary and the transition into celestial domains.