Shloka 21
Śiva Grants the Pāśupata Astra (Pāśupata-Śastra Upadeśa) | शिवेन पाशुपतास्त्रदानम्
निवातकवचाश्नैव दानवा: कुरुनन्दन । पितुर्ममांशो देवस्य सर्वलोकप्रतापिन:
nivātakavacāś caiva dānavāḥ kurunandana | pitur mamāṃśo devasya sarvalokapratāpinaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai kebanggaan kaum Kuru, para Dānava yang dikenali sebagai Nivātakavaca—perkasa dan berperisai kukuh—juga ada. Mereka seakan-akan suatu bahagian daripada ayahandaku, dewa yang sinarnya menggentarkan seluruh alam.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how overwhelming power and formidable opponents arise within a larger cosmic order—implying that strength and threat are not random but connected to lineage and divine potency, inviting discernment and steadiness rather than fear.
Vaiśampāyana identifies the Nivātakavaca Dānavas and emphasizes their extraordinary might by linking them to a divine source described as blazing with power over all worlds, heightening the sense of the adversary’s stature in the unfolding account.