Shloka 37

Devanagari script

रुद्राक्ष वसवश्चैव मरुतशक्ष महाबला:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | rudrākṣa vasavaś caiva marutaś ca mahābalāḥ | kṛṣṇapārtho jighāṃsantaḥ pratīyur vividhāyudhāḥ ||

Translation

वैशम्पायन उवाच—रुद्राश्च वसवश्चैव मरुतश्च महाबलाः। विविधायुधाः प्रतीयुस्तौ कृष्णपार्थौ जिघांसवः॥

Word by Word

• रुद्राः: the Rudras
• रुद्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वसवः: the Vasus
• वसवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• मरुतः: the Maruts
• मरुतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरुत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• महाबलाः: mighty/very strong
• महाबलाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कृष्णपार्थौ: Krishna and Partha (Arjuna)
• कृष्णपार्थौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण + पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

• जिघांसन्तः: wishing to kill
• जिघांसन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (desiderative: जिघांस्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, शतृ (present active participle), Parasmaipada

• प्रतीयुः: advanced/went forth (towards)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + इ (धातु: इ)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• विविधायुधाः: bearing various weapons
• विविधायुधाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध + आयुध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Rudras
• Vasus
• Maruts
• Kṛṣṇa
• Arjuna (Pārtha)
• various weapons (āyudha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that power—even divine power—can be directed by intention; when intention turns toward harm, conflict escalates regardless of status. Ethically, it foregrounds the primacy of right purpose (dharma-aligned intent) over mere might.

What is happening in the narrative?

A host of deities—the Rudras, Vasus, and Maruts—approach Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, armed with many kinds of weapons, with the explicit aim of killing them, intensifying the confrontation around these two heroes.