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.”
阿周那说道：“且先搁置不死之事，告诉我你心中真正所念。” 随后，湿婆大神亲自取起我的弓与两具装满无尽箭矢的箭囊，交还于我，并说道：“焚敌者啊，收下这些兵器。昆蒂之子，我已悦纳于你。说吧——你要我成就你何事？勇士啊，你心中所怀任何愿望，尽可道来，我必为你圆满。唯独不死之愿须置之不论；除此之外，尽说你所求。”
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.