Narada Restrains Arjuna from Using Weapons
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.
Narada spoke these words, worthy of hearing, to Partha.
"O Arjuna! O Arjuna! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Do not discharge these divine weapons. They should never be used when there is no target. Even when there is a target, one should not use them unless one is hard-pressed. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! Such a use of these weapons is a great sin. O Dhananjaya! If these weapons are properly preserved, as you have been taught, there is no doubt that they will lead to great happiness. O Pandava! But if they are not preserved well, they will lead to the destruction of the three worlds. Therefore, never attempt this again. O Ajatashatru! You will behold the weapons when Partha uses them in battle for the destruction of the enemies."
The warning was precise. The weapons were not toys. They were instruments of cosmic force, given by the gods for a specific purpose — the coming war. Using them now, without a target, would be an act of destruction without meaning. A sin.
Arjuna understood. He stopped.
After having restrained Partha, all the gods, and all the others who had assembled there, departed the way they had come. The grandfather Brahma left with the lokapalas. Mahadeva left with his companions. The gandharvas and apsaras faded away. The earth grew still again. The sun resumed its light. The winds began to blow.
When they had left, the Pandavas, together with Krishna, began to live happily in that forest. The weapons were preserved — held in readiness for the day they would be needed, when the enemies would come, and Arjuna would finally have a target worthy of them. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 469