Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
न हि मद्बाणजालानामुत्सृष्टानां सहस्रश: । शक्तो<न्य: सहितुं वेगमृते देवं पिनाकिनम्,“मैंने सहस्नों बार जिन बाण-समूहोंकी वृष्टि की है, उनका वेग पिनाकधारी भगवान् शंकरके सिवा दूसरा कोई नहीं सह सकता
na hi madbāṇajālānām utsṛṣṭānāṁ sahasraśaḥ | śakto 'nyaḥ sahituṁ vegam ṛte devaṁ pinākinam ||
“Tunay, sa di-mabilang na mga ulang ng palaso na paulit-ulit kong pinakawalan, wala nang iba ang may lakas na makatiis sa bagsik nito—maliban sa banal na Panginoong may tangan ng Pināka (Śiva).”
किरयात उवाच
Even the greatest martial prowess has limits; ultimate power belongs to the divine. The verse underscores humility and recognition of Śiva’s supremacy, framing heroism as meaningful when aligned with reverence and self-restraint.
The Kirāta (a hunter figure) boasts that the force of his arrow-volleys cannot be endured by anyone—except Śiva, the Pināka-bearing lord—highlighting that the opponent being faced is no ordinary being and foreshadowing divine testing and revelation.