Vyasa

Aranyaka Parva›Arjuna's Heavenly Sojourn and Battle with the Nivatakavachas

Indra Visits the Pandavas in the Forest

Why "Major"?

Causal ReachTop 64%
Character WeightTop 91%
State ChangeTop 90%
Narrative RecallTop 50%

~1 min read

A celestial sound fills the sky as Indra, king of the gods, descends in a golden chariot before the Pandavas in the forest. Arjuna bows humbly before him, and Indra, delighted, inhales the fragrance of his matted head — cleansed through austerities. He blesses Yudhishthira, declares Arjuna invincible, and returns to heaven.

The sound came first — a tremendous noise from the sky, created by every musical instrument of the gods. Chariot wheels rumbled. Bells tolled. The cries of beasts and birds echoed across the forest. Then the sky itself seemed to part. Indra, king of the gods, the destroyer of enemies, arrived with gandharvas (celestial musicians) and apsaras (celestial dancers) on all sides, all riding vimanas (flying chariots) that blazed like the sun. Purandara — "the destroyer of cities," one of Indra's many names — descended in a chariot that roared like thunderclouds, adorned with gold and drawn by tawny horses. The god with a thousand eyes stepped down. Yudhishthira, Dharmaraja, saw him and approached with his brothers. He worshipped the infinite-souled one with appropriate honours and decreed rituals. Then Dhananjaya — Arjuna — bowed before Purandara, before the king of the gods, and remained prone like a servant. Yudhishthira saw his brother's head bowed in humility. And Indra, the king of the gods, was extremely delighted on seeing Phalguna — another name for Arjuna. He inhaled the fragrance of Arjuna's matted head, cleansed through austerities, and rejoiced in his heart, overcome with delight. Then Purandara spoke to Yudhishthira: "O king! O Pandava! You will rule the earth. O Kounteya! Be fortunate. Return again to the hermitage of Kamyaka. O king! Having performed deeds that brought me pleasure, Pandava Dhananjaya has obtained all the weapons from me. No one in the worlds is capable of vanquishing him now." Having spoken these words to Kunti's son Yudhishthira, and having been worshipped by the maharshis (great sages), the one with the thousand eyes happily returned to heaven. The account closes with a promise: the learned and controlled one who observes brahmacharya (celibacy) for a year, restrained and rigid in his vows, and studies this account of the meeting between the Pandavas and Shakra in the abode of the lord of riches, will never face obstructions and will live happily for a hundred autumns.

Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 459