Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.39.46 - Vana Parva, Adhyaya 39, Shloka 46

Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas

Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva

Devanagari script

चिन्तयामास जिष्णुस्तु भगवन्तं हुताशनम्‌ । पुरस्तादक्षयौ दत्तौ तूणौ येनास्थ खाण्डवे

Transliteration

cintayāmāsa jiṣṇus tu bhagavantaṁ hutāśanam | purastād akṣayau dattau tūṇau yenātha khāṇḍave ||

Translation

అప్పుడు విజేత అయిన అర్జునుడు భగవాన్ హుతాశనుడు (అగ్నిదేవుడు)ను స్మరించాడు; ఖాండవవనంలో ప్రత్యక్షమై అతనికి రెండు అక్షయ తూణీరాలను ప్రసాదించినవాడే ఆయన.

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Word by Word

• चिन्तयामास: he thought/meditated
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त्
• Form: लिट् (परिप्रास/परफेक्ट), 3, singular, परस्मैपद

• जिष्णुः: Jishnu (Arjuna)
• जिष्णुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिष्णु
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• भगवन्तम्: the venerable/lordly one
• भगवन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत्
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• हुताशनम्: Agni (the eater of oblations)
• हुताशनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुताशन
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• पुरस्तात्: formerly/before; in front
• पुरस्तात्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस्तात्

• अक्षयौ: two inexhaustible
• अक्षयौ: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय
• Form: masculine, accusative, dual

• दत्तौ: given (bestowed)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), masculine, accusative, dual

• तूणौ: two quivers
• तूणौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तूण
• Form: masculine, accusative, dual

• येन: by whom
• येन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, instrumental, singular

• आस्थ: he was/there was
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: लिट् (परफेक्ट), 3, singular, परस्मैपद

• खाण्डवे: in (the forest) Khāṇḍava
• खाण्डवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: खाण्डव
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

Speaker

किरयात उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna (Jiṣṇu)
• Agni (Hutāśana)
• Khāṇḍava forest
• two inexhaustible quivers (akṣaya-tūṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights gratitude and devotional recollection: a righteous hero remembers divine assistance received earlier, implying that strength and success should be aligned with dharma and acknowledged as supported by higher grace rather than claimed as mere self-achievement.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna (called Jiṣṇu) mentally invokes Agni, recalling the earlier Khāṇḍava-forest episode when Agni appeared and gifted him two inexhaustible quivers—an act that reinforces Arjuna’s preparedness and confidence in the present situation.