Shloka 36
Lokapāla-samāgamaḥ—Arjuna Receives Astras from the World-Guardians
Book 3, Chapter 42
तपसा च जित स्वर्ग सम्पेतु: शतसड्घश: । गन्धर्वाणां सहस्राणि सूर्यज्वलिततेजसाम्,सैकड़ों झुंड-के-झुंड तपस्वी पुरुष स्वर्गमें जा रहे थे, जिन्होंने तपस्याद्वारा उसपर विजय पायी थी। सूर्यके समान प्रकाशमान सहस्रों गन्धर्वों, गुह्कों, ऋषियों तथा अप्सराओंके समूहोंको और उनके स्वतः प्रकाशित होनेवाले लोकोंको देखकर अर्जुनको बड़ा आश्चर्य होता था
tapasā ca jita-svargaṃ sampetuḥ śataśaḥ gaṇaśaḥ | gandharvāṇāṃ sahasrāṇi sūrya-jvalita-tejasām |
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Sa daan-daang pangkat at mga pulutong, ang mga asceta ay patungong langit—na napagwagian nila sa lakas ng kanilang tapas (mahigpit na pag-aayuno at disiplina). At naroon ang libu-libong Gandharva, ang ningning ay nagliliyab na parang araw.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents tapas (disciplined austerity) as a force that can ‘win’ svarga, implying that spiritual self-control and sustained effort generate merit and elevate one’s destiny within the moral cosmos.
The narrator describes a celestial scene: large companies of ascetics are seen ascending to heaven, and thousands of radiant Gandharvas appear with sun-like brilliance, intensifying the sense of awe surrounding Arjuna’s encounter with higher worlds.