ततः पाण्डुर् महातेजा मन्त्रयित्वा महर्षिभिः ॥
दिदेश कुन्त्याः कौरव्यो व्रतं सांवत्सरं शुभम् ॥
आत्मना च महाबाहुर् एकपादस्थितो ऽभवत् ॥
उग्रं स तप आतस्थे परमेण समाधिना ॥
आरिराधयिषुर् देवं त्रिदशानां तम् ईश्वरम् ॥
सूर्येण सह धर्मात्मा पर्यवर्तत भारत ॥
तं तु कालेन महता वासवः प्रत्यभाषत ॥
पुत्रं तव प्रदास्यामि त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतम् ॥
देवानां ब्राह्मणानां च सुहृदां चार्थसाधकम् ॥
सुतं ते ऽग्र्यं प्रदास्यामि सर्वामित्रविनाशनम् ॥
tataḥ pāṇḍur mahātejā mantrayitvā maharṣibhiḥ ||
dideśa kuntyāḥ kauravyo vrataṃ sāṃvatsaraṃ śubham ||
ātmanā ca mahābāhur ekapādasthito 'bhavat ||
ugraṃ sa tapa ātasthe parameṇa samādhinā ||
ārirādhayiṣur devaṃ tridaśānāṃ tam īśvaram ||
sūryeṇa saha dharmātmā paryavartata bhārata ||
taṃ tu kālena mahatā vāsavaḥ pratyabhāṣata ||
putraṃ tava pradāsyāmi triṣu lokeṣu viśrutam ||
devānāṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ ca suhṛdāṃ cārthasādhakam ||
sutaṃ te 'gryaṃ pradāsyāmi sarvāmitravināśanam ||
"Then the greatly resplendent Pandu, having taken counsel with the great sages, enjoined upon Kunti an auspicious year-long vow; and he himself, the mighty-armed one, stood upon a single foot, performing a severe austerity with supreme concentration, desiring to propitiate that god, lord of the thirty gods; and, turning together with the sun, the righteous one, O Bharata. After a long time, Vasava replied to him: 'I shall grant you a son, renowned in the three worlds, accomplisher of the purposes of gods, brahmins, and friends; I shall grant you a foremost son, destroyer of all enemies.'"
d4bbe1cc3902 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:41:49 PM UTC
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Here Pandu, through severe austerity, wins Indra's promise. Telling is the measure of effort: a year-long vow for the wife and the king's standing on one foot, "turning together with the sun" — the utmost exertion of tapas. A great gift demands great effort and concentration (samadhi): grace descends upon one who has wholly directed deed, mind, and word toward it. Telling too is the description of the promised son: he will be "the accomplisher of the purposes of gods, brahmins, and friends" — born not for himself but to serve dharma and protect the righteous. Thus scripture leads toward the birth of Arjuna — the one destined to become the friend and disciple-charioteer of the Lord Krishna himself, and the instrument for the restoration of dharma.