Shloka 3
कथमर्जुन कालो<यं स्वर्गे व्यतिगतस्तव । कथं चास्त्राण्यवाप्तानि देवराजश्न तोषित:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: katham arjuna kālo 'yaṃ svarge vyatigatas tava | kathaṃ cāstrāṇy avāptāni devarājaś ca toṣitaḥ ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Arjuna, como transcorreu para ti este período no céu? Como obtiveste as armas divinas e de que modo satisfizeste Indra, o rei dos deuses?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical principle that extraordinary power (divine weapons) is not merely seized but earned through right conduct and the favor of rightful authority—here symbolized by pleasing Indra. It frames martial capability as accountable to dharma and divine sanction.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana poses a set of questions about Arjuna’s sojourn in heaven: how he spent his time there, how he gained celestial weapons, and how he won Indra’s satisfaction—setting up the account of Arjuna’s heavenly experiences and acquisition of astras.