अर्जुन उवाच
एवम् उक्त्वा तु मां शक्रस् तत्रैवान्तरधीयत ॥
अथापश्यं हरियुजं रथम् ऐन्द्रम् उपस्थितम् ॥
दिव्यं मायामयं पुण्यं यत्तं मातलिना नृप ॥
लोकपालेषु यातेषु माम् उवाचाथ मातलिः ॥
द्रष्टुम् इच्छति शक्रस् त्वां देवराजो महाद्युते ॥
संसिद्धस् त्वं महाबाहो कुरु कार्यम् अनुत्तमम् ॥
पश्य पुण्यकृतां लोकान् सशरीरो दिवं व्रज ॥
इत्य् उक्तो ऽहं मातलिना गिरिम् आमन्त्र्य शैशिरम् ॥
प्रदक्षिणम् उपावृत्य समारोहं रथोत्तमम् ॥
चोदयाम् आस स हयान् मनोमारुतरंहसः ॥
मातलिर् हयशास्त्रज्ञो यथावद् भूरिदक्षिणः ॥
अवैक्षत च मे वक्त्रं स्थितस्याथ स सारथिः ॥
तथा भ्रान्ते रथे राजन् विस्मितश् चेदम् अब्रवीत् ॥
अत्यद्भुतम् इदं मे ऽद्य विचित्रं प्रतिभाति माम् ॥
यद् आस्थितो रथं दिव्यं पदा न चलितो भवान् ॥
देवराजो ऽपि हि मया नित्यम् अत्रोपलक्षितः ॥
विचलन् प्रथमोत्पाते हयानां भरतर्षभ ॥
त्वं पुनः स्थित एवात्र रथे भ्रान्ते कुरूद्वह ॥
अतिशक्रम् इदं सत्त्वं तवेति प्रतिभाति मे ॥
इत्य् उक्त्वाकाशम् आविश्य मातलिर् विबुधालयान् ॥
दर्शयाम् आस मे राजन् विमानानि च भारत ॥
arjuna uvāca
evam uktvā tu māṃ śakras tatraivāntaradhīyata ||
athāpaśyaṃ hariyujaṃ ratham aindram upasthitam ||
divyaṃ māyāmayaṃ puṇyaṃ yattaṃ mātalinā nṛpa ||
lokapāleṣu yāteṣu mām uvācātha mātaliḥ ||
draṣṭum icchati śakras tvāṃ devarājo mahādyute ||
saṃsiddhas tvaṃ mahābāho kuru kāryam anuttamam ||
paśya puṇyakṛtāṃ lokān saśarīro divaṃ vraja ||
ity ukto 'haṃ mātalinā girim āmantrya śaiśiram ||
pradakṣiṇam upāvṛtya samārohaṃ rathottamam ||
codayām āsa sa hayān manomārutaraṃhasaḥ ||
mātalir hayaśāstrajño yathāvad bhūridakṣiṇaḥ ||
avaikṣata ca me vaktraṃ sthitasyātha sa sārathiḥ ||
tathā bhrānte rathe rājan vismitaś cedam abravīt ||
atyadbhutam idaṃ me 'dya vicitraṃ pratibhāti mām ||
yad āsthito rathaṃ divyaṃ padā na calito bhavān ||
devarājo 'pi hi mayā nityam atropalakṣitaḥ ||
vicalan prathamotpāte hayānāṃ bharatarṣabha ||
tvaṃ punaḥ sthita evātra rathe bhrānte kurūdvaha ||
atiśakram idaṃ sattvaṃ taveti pratibhāti me ||
ity uktvākāśam āviśya mātalir vibudhālayān ||
darśayām āsa me rājan vimānāni ca bhārata ||
Arjuna said: 'Having said this, Shakra vanished on the spot. Then I saw before me Indra's chariot, yoked with bay horses, divine, wrought of maya, holy, ready, driven by Matali. When the lokapalas had gone, Matali said to me: "Shakra, king of the gods, wishes to see you, greatly radiant one. You have attained perfection, mighty-armed one; accomplish the highest task. Behold the worlds of the righteous and ascend to heaven in your own body." Hearing this, I took leave of Mount Shaishira, circled it keeping it to my right, and mounted the finest of chariots. Matali, knower of horsemanship, generous and skillful, urged on the horses, swift as thought and wind. When the chariot began to whirl, he looked at my face, and, filled with wonder, said this: "Today this seems to me a great marvel, a wondrous thing. Though mounted on this divine chariot, you have not stirred a foot. I have always observed that even the king of the gods wavers here at the horses' first lurch, bull of the Bharatas. Yet you stand quite still on this whirling chariot, upholder of the Kurus. It seems to me that this strength of yours surpasses Shakra's own." Having said this, Matali entered the sky and showed me the abodes of the gods and the vimanas, O king, O Bharata.'
176d891c29e9 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:13:49 PM UTC
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Arjuna's stillness on the chariot becomes a sign of inner composure. The heavenly path opens to one who does not lose his balance even amid the motion of worlds.