Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 22
Draupadī Meets Kṛṣṇa’s Queens — Narratives of the Lord’s Marriages and the Queens’ Bhakti
आदाय व्यसृजन् केचित् सज्यं कर्तुमनीश्वरा: । आकोष्ठं ज्यां समुत्कृष्य पेतुरेकेऽमुना हता: ॥ २२ ॥
ādāya vyasṛjan kecit sajyaṁ kartum anīśvarāḥ ā-koṣṭhaṁ jyāṁ samutkṛṣya petur eke ’munāhatāḥ
Some of them picked up the bow but could not string it, and so they threw it aside in frustration. Some managed to pull the bowstring toward the tip of the bow, only to have the bow spring back and knock them to the ground.
FAQs
This verse shows that even physically strong warriors become powerless—some cannot even string their bows, and others collapse—when confronted by Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s superior divine potency.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes opposing fighters who attempted to draw their bows fully (to the ear) but were struck down by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, indicating the Lord’s effortless dominance.
Relying on ego and brute force fails before higher reality; humility and surrender to the Supreme (and acting in dharma) is safer and ultimately victorious.