Arjuna and Brahma

Shiva disappears from the Himalayan peak, and Arjuna is still reeling from having seen the god face to face — when the sky lights up and four more gods arrive. Yama, Varuna, Kubera, and Indra have come to reveal who Arjuna really is, what he is meant to do, and to arm him for the war that awaits.

The danavas unleash a storm of rocks, water, wind, fire, and finally a terrible darkness that confounds Arjuna and terrifies Matali. Arjuna counters each elemental assault with divine weapons, but when the darkness falls, even his charioteer loses his senses — and Arjuna must steady himself before he can fight on.

After the battle, Arjuna enters the Nivatakavacha city — a place more beautiful than the abode of the gods themselves. He asks Matali why the gods do not live there, and learns that his entire mission was divinely ordained: the gods could not kill these asuras, but Arjuna, arriving at the destined time, has accomplished what they could not.

Returning from battle, Arjuna spots a celestial city drifting through the sky — jewel-laden, impossible to conquer, avoided even by the gods. He asks Matali what it is, and learns the story of the boon that made it invulnerable — and the single condition that will undo it.

As Arjuna prepares to discharge the celestial weapons, the gods and lokapalas arrive at the scene of cosmic disturbance. Narada, instructed by the gods, warns Arjuna that using divine weapons without a target is a great sin — and that mishandling them could destroy the three worlds. Arjuna is restrained, and the weapons are preserved for future battle.