इत्य् उक्तः कौरवो राजा वासवेन महात्मना ॥
उवाच कुन्तीं धर्मात्मा देवराजवचः स्मरन् ॥
नीतिमन्तं महात्मानम् आदित्यसमतेजसम् ॥
दुराधर्षं क्रियावन्तम् अतीवाद्भुतदर्शनम् ॥
पुत्रं जनय सुश्रोणि धाम क्षत्रियतेजसाम् ॥
लब्धः प्रसादो देवेन्द्रात् तम् आह्वय शुचिस्मिते ॥
एवम् उक्ता ततः शक्रम् आजुहाव यशस्विनी ॥
अथाजगाम देवेन्द्रो जनयाम् आस चार्जुनम् ॥
जातमात्रे कुमारे तु वाग् उवाचाशरीरिणी ॥
महागम्भीरनिर्घोषा नभो नादयती तदा ॥
कार्तवीर्यसमः कुन्ति शिबितुल्यपराक्रमः ॥
एष शक्र इवाजेयो यशस् ते प्रथयिष्यति ॥
अदित्या विष्णुना प्रीतिर् यथाभूद् अभिवर्धिता ॥
तथा विष्णुसमः प्रीतिं वर्धयिष्यति ते ऽर्जुनः ॥
ity uktaḥ kauravo rājā vāsavena mahātmanā ||
uvāca kuntīṃ dharmātmā devarājavacaḥ smaran ||
nītimantaṃ mahātmānam ādityasamatejasam ||
durādharṣaṃ kriyāvantam atīvādbhutadarśanam ||
putraṃ janaya suśroṇi dhāma kṣatriyatejasām ||
labdhaḥ prasādo devendrāt tam āhvaya śucismite ||
evam uktā tataḥ śakram ājuhāva yaśasvinī ||
athājagāma devendro janayām āsa cārjunam ||
jātamātre kumāre tu vāg uvācāśarīriṇī ||
mahāgambhīranirghoṣā nabho nādayatī tadā ||
kārtavīryasamaḥ kunti śibitulyaparākramaḥ ||
eṣa śakra ivājeyo yaśas te prathayiṣyati ||
adityā viṣṇunā prītir yathābhūd abhivardhitā ||
tathā viṣṇusamaḥ prītiṃ vardhayiṣyati te 'rjunaḥ ||
"Thus addressed by the great-souled Vasava, the righteous Kaurava king spoke to Kunti, recalling the words of the king of the gods: 'A son wise in policy, great-souled, of splendor equal to the sun, unconquerable, of great deeds, exceedingly wondrous in appearance — bear such a son, O fair-hipped one, an abode of kshatriya splendor; favor has been obtained from the lord of the gods — call upon him, O bright-smiling one.' Thus entreated, the glorious woman called upon Shakra; and the lord of the gods came, and fathered Arjuna. The moment the infant was born, a bodiless voice, deeply resonant, filling the sky, spoke: 'Equal to Kartavirya, O Kunti, of valor comparable to Shibi, invincible as Shakra, he will spread your fame; as Aditi's joy was increased by Vishnu, so Arjuna, equal to Vishnu, will increase your joy.'"
2f8d22f16492 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:41:49 PM UTC
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Here is born the third and greatest of the elder Pandavas — Arjuna, son of Indra. Telling is the prophecy that likens him not only to great kings (Kartavirya, Shibi) and to Indra himself, but to Vishnu: "Arjuna, equal to Vishnu, will increase your joy, as Vishnu [increased the joy] of Aditi." Here lies the deepest mystery: Arjuna is the incarnation of the eternal sage Nara, the inseparable companion of Narayana (Vishnu-Krishna); this is why he is "equal to Vishnu", and why his birth is filled with singular greatness. Telling too is the comparison to the joy of Aditi, mother of the gods, to whom Vishnu was born as a son (Vamana): so Kunti, through the joy of her son, is likened to the mother of the gods. Thus scripture reveals the birth of the one to whom, on the field of Kurukshetra, the Lord himself will speak the Bhagavad Gita; and for this reason, as what follows will show, the whole universe rejoices.