Shloka 473
Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness
Nivātakavaca engagement
अमरत्वमपाहाय ब्रूहि यत् ते मनोगतम् । तदनन्तर मेरे धनुष और अक्षय बाणोंसे भरे हुए दोनों तरकस लेकर भगवान् शिवने मुझे ही दे दिये और कहा--'परंतप! ये अपने अस्त्र ग्रहण करो।' कुन्तीकुमार! मैं तुमसे संतुष्ट हूँ। बोलो
amaratvam apāhāya brūhi yat te manogatam | tad-anantaram me dhanuṣī akṣaya-bāṇaiḥ pūritau ubhau tarakasau gṛhītvā bhagavān śivaḥ mām eva adadāt, uvāca ca—“parantapa! imāni astrāṇi gṛhāṇa. kuntīkumāra! ahaṁ tvayi saṁtuṣṭaḥ. brūhi, tava kaḥ kāryaḥ siddhyatām? vīra! yā te manasi kāmanā, tāṁ vada; ahaṁ tāṁ paripūrayiṣyāmi. amaratvaṁ vihāya, yad api te manogatam, tat brūhi.”
Arjuna disse: “Deixando de lado a imortalidade, dize-me o que de fato tens em mente.” Depois disso, o próprio Senhor Śiva tomou meu arco e as duas aljavas cheias de flechas inesgotáveis, entregou-mas e disse: “Ó flagelo dos inimigos, recebe estas armas. Filho de Kuntī, estou satisfeito contigo. Fala: que tarefa tua devo realizar? Herói, qualquer desejo que habite teu coração, dize-o; eu o cumprirei. Apenas deixa de lado a imortalidade e declara o que anseias.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when divine favor is offered, the request is bounded by dharma and human limits: immortality is explicitly excluded, highlighting restraint, humility, and the ethical framing of power as a means to rightful duty rather than limitless personal gain.
Śiva, pleased with Arjuna, returns and bestows his bow along with two quivers of inexhaustible arrows and invites Arjuna to ask for a boon—anything except immortality—signaling divine approval and empowering Arjuna for the coming conflict while keeping the boon within cosmic order.