Shloka 4
Lokapāla-samāgamaḥ—Arjuna Receives Astras from the World-Guardians
Book 3, Chapter 42
असय: शक्तयो भीमा गदाश्षोग्रप्रदर्शना: । दिव्यप्रभावा: प्रासाश्न विद्युतश्न महाप्रभा:,उस रथमें तलवार, भयंकर शक्ति, उग्र गदा, दिव्य प्रभावशाली प्रास, अत्यन्त कान्तिमती विद्युत्ू, अशनि एवं चक्रयुक्त भारी वजनवाले प्रस्तरके गोले रखे हुए थे, जो चलाते समय हवामें सनसनाहट पैदा करते थे। तथा जिनसे वज्रगर्जन और महामेघोंकी गम्भीर ध्वनिके समान शब्द होते थे
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
asayaḥ śaktayo bhīmā gadāś cogrāḥ pradarśanāḥ |
divyaprabhāvāḥ prāsāś ca vidyutaś cāśanir mahāprabhāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: In that chariot were kept swords, fearsome spears (śaktis), and a terrible mace—formidable to behold—along with javelins of divine potency, lightning-like weapons, and a blazing thunderbolt. The passage emphasizes the overwhelming, almost cosmic force embodied in these arms, foreshadowing the violence that human ambition can unleash when power is amassed without restraint.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the accumulation of formidable weaponry magnifies human capacity for destruction; it implicitly warns that power, when gathered and displayed, demands ethical restraint (dama) and right intention (dharma) to prevent catastrophe.
Vaiśampāyana describes the contents of a chariot: an array of terrifying and radiant weapons—swords, spears, a mace, divine javelins, lightning-like arms, and a thunderbolt—setting a martial tone and preparing the listener for imminent conflict.