Critical Edition
भगवानुवाच नरस्त्वं पूर्वदेहे वै नारायणसहायवान् बदर्यां तप्तवानुग्रं तपो वर्षायुतान्बहून्
M. N. Dutt: Shiva said: You were in your former life Nara, the friend of Narayana, You passed many thousands of years in fearful and austere asceticism.
त्वयि वा परमं तेजो विष्णौ वा पुरुषोत्तमे युवाभ्यां पुरुषाग्र्याभ्यां तेजसा धार्यते जगत्
M. N. Dutt: Great prowess exists in you and in Vishnu, that foremost of Purushas. You two by your prowess hold the Universe.
शक्राभिषेके सुमहद्धनुर्जलदनिस्वनम् प्रगृह्य दानवाः शस्तास्त्वया कृष्णेन च प्रभो
M. N. Dutt: O lord, taking up that fearful bow whose twang resembled the deep roars of clouds, you as well as Krishna chastised the Danavas at the coronation of Indra.
एतत्तदेव गाण्डीवं तव पार्थ करोचितम् मायामास्थाय यद्ग्रस्तं मया पुरुषसत्तम तूणौ चाप्यक्षयौ भूयस्तव पार्थ यथोचितौ
M. N. Dutt: O Partha this Gandiva which is fit for (only) your hands is that very bow (with which you chastised the Danavas). O foremost of men. I snatched it from you by means of my power of illusion.
Supplementary Passages:
3.41.4 After 4, B D (except D1-3) S ins.: *177 भविष्यति शरीरं च नीरुजं कुरुनन्दन
प्रीतिमानस्मि वै पार्थ तव सत्यपराक्रम गृहाण वरमस्मत्तः काङ्क्षितं यन्नरर्षभ
M. N. Dutt: O Partha, your prowess will be incapable of being ever baffled. I have been pleased with you. O foremost of men, ask from me, what you desire to get.
न त्वया सदृशः कश्चित्पुमान्मर्त्येषु मानद दिवि वा विद्यते क्षत्रं त्वत्प्रधानमरिंदम
M. N. Dutt: O giver of proper respect (to all men), O chastiser of foes, there is no man either here on earth or in heaven who is cqual to you (in prowess). Nor there is any Kshatriya who is superior to you.
अर्जुन उवाच भगवन्ददासि चेन्मह्यं कामं प्रीत्या वृषध्वज कामये दिव्यमस्त्रं तद्घोरं पाशुपतं प्रभो
AI Translation: Arjuna said: O Lord, if you are granting me a boon out of affection, O Bull-bannered One, I desire that terrible divine weapon, the Pashupata.
यत्तद्ब्रह्मशिरो नाम रौद्रं भीमपराक्रमम् युगान्ते दारुणे प्राप्ते कृत्स्नं संहरते जगत्
AI Translation: That which is called Brahmaśiras, terrible, of terrible prowess, At the end of the age, when it has come, it destroys the entire world.
Supplementary Passages:
3.41.8 After 8, K1.4 B D (except D1-3) ins.: *178 कर्णभीष्मकृपद्रोणैर्भविता तु महाहवः त्वत्प्रसादान्महादेव जयेयं तान्यथा युधि After line 1, K4 ins.: *179 ब्रह्मास्त्रज्ञानसंपन्नैर्भविता मे महाहवः
दहेयं येन संग्रामे दानवान्राक्षसांस्तथा भूतानि च पिशाचांश्च गन्धर्वानथ पन्नगान्
AI Translation: By which I would burn the demons, the rākṣasas, and the yakṣas in battle, And the spirits, the piśācas, the gandharvas, and the serpents,
यतः शूलसहस्राणि गदाश्चोग्रप्रदर्शनाः शराश्चाशीविषाकाराः संभवन्त्यनुमन्त्रिताः
AI Translation: From which thousands of tridents and clubs of terrible appearance And arrows shaped like poisonous snakes arise when invoked.
युध्येयं येन भीष्मेण द्रोणेन च कृपेण च सूतपुत्रेण च रणे नित्यं कटुकभाषिणा
M. N. Dutt: The weapon by the help of which I may fight with Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and the ever abusive son of Suta (Karna).
एष मे प्रथमः कामो भगवन्भगनेत्रहन् त्वत्प्रसादाद्विनिर्वृत्तः समर्थः स्यामहं यथा
M. N. Dutt: O exalted destroyer of Vaga's eyes, my chief desire is that I may be able to fight with them and finally obtain victory.
भगवानुवाच ददानि तेऽस्त्रं दयितमहं पाशुपतं महत् समर्थो धारणे मोक्षे संहारे चापि पाण्डव
M. N. Dutt: Shiva said: O exalted Pandava, I shall give you my favourite weapon called Pashupata. You are capable of holding, hurling and withdrawing it.
नैतद्वेद महेन्द्रोऽपि न यमो न च यक्षराट् वरुणो वाथ वा वायुः कुतो वेत्स्यन्ति मानवाः
M. N. Dutt: Neither Indra, nor Yama, nor the king of the Yakshas, nor Varuna, nor Vayu knows it, how could it (then) be known to human beings?
न त्वेतत्सहसा पार्थ मोक्तव्यं पुरुषे क्वचित् जगद्विनिर्दहेत्सर्वमल्पतेजसि पातितम्
M. N. Dutt: O Partha, this weapon should not be discharged without proper reason, for if discharged at a weak enemy, it would destroy the whole universe.
अवध्यो नाम नास्त्यस्य त्रैलोक्ये सचराचरे मनसा चक्षुषा वाचा धनुषा च निपात्यते
M. N. Dutt: There is none in the three worlds of mobile and immobile creatures who is incapable of being killed by this weapon. It might be discharged by the mind, by the eyes, by words or by the bow.
वैशंपायन उवाच तच्छ्रुत्वा त्वरितः पार्थः शुचिर्भूत्वा समाहितः उपसंगृह्य विश्वेशमधीष्वेति च सोऽब्रवीत्
M. N. Dutt: Vaishampayana said : Having heard this, the son of Pritha (Arjuna) purified himself. Coming to the lord of the universe with rapt attention, he said, "Instruct me.”
ततस्त्वध्यापयामास सरहस्य निवर्तनम् तदस्त्रं पाण्डवश्रेष्ठं मूर्तिमन्तमिवान्तकम्
AI Translation: Then he taught him the secret of the reversal of the weapon, That weapon, best of the Pandavas, like a personified Death.
उपतस्थे महात्मानं यथा त्र्यक्षमुमापतिम् प्रतिजग्राह तच्चापि प्रीतिमानर्जुनस्तदा
AI Translation: He approached the great-souled one, like the three-eyed one, the lord of Uma. And Arjuna, full of joy, accepted it.
ततश्चचाल पृथिवी सपर्वतवनद्रुमा ससागरवनोद्देशा सग्रामनगराकरा
M. N. Dutt: Thereupon the whole earth with its mountains, forests, trees, seas, woods, villages, towns and mines, began to tremble.
शङ्खदुन्दुभिघोषाश्च भेरीणां च सहस्रशः तस्मिन्मुहूर्ते संप्राप्ते निर्घातश्च महानभूत्
M. N. Dutt: Sounds of thousands of conchs, drums and trumpets were heard. Hurricanes and whirlwinds began to blow.
अथास्त्रं जाज्वलद्घोरं पाण्डवस्यामितौजसः मूर्तिमद्विष्ठितं पार्श्वे ददृशुर्देवदानवाः
M. N. Dutt: The celestials and the Danavas saw that fearful weapon in its embodied from standing at the side of the immeasurably energetic and heroic Pandava.
स्पृष्टस्य च त्र्यम्बकेन फल्गुनस्यामितौजसः यत्किंचिदशुभं देहे तत्सर्वं नाशमेयिवत्
M. N. Dutt: Whatever evil there was in the body of the immeasuraely energetic Falguni (Arjuna) was all dispelled by his touch with the three-eyed deity.
स्वर्गं गच्छेत्यनुज्ञातस्त्र्यम्बकेन तदार्जुनः प्रणम्य शिरसा पार्थः प्राञ्जलिर्देवमैक्षत
M. N. Dutt: Then Arjuna was commanded by the threeeyed deity to "Go to heaven." O king, bowing down his head, he gazed at him with joined hands.
ततः प्रभुस्त्रिदिवनिवासिनां वशी; महामतिर्गिरिश उमापतिः शिवः धनुर्महद्दितिजपिशाचसूदनं; ददौ भवः पुरुषवराय गाण्डिवम्
M. N. Dutt: Then the lord of all the dwellers of heaven, the deity of blazing splendour, the dweller of mountain, the husband of Uma, Shiva, the source of all blessings. Bhava, gave to Arjuna, that foremost of men, the great bow called Gandharva, capable of destroying the Danavas and the Pishachas.
ततः शुभं गिरिवरमीश्वरस्तदा; सहोमया सिततटसानुकन्दरम् विहाय तं पतगमहर्षिसेवितं; जगाम खं पुरुषवरस्य पश्यतः
M. N. Dutt: The god of gods, accompanied by Uma then leaving that blessed mountain of snowy plateaus and valleys and caves, the favourite resort of the sky-ranging Rishis, went up to the skies in the very sight of that foremost of men (Arjuna).