Shloka 39
Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness
Nivātakavaca engagement
हतेष्वस्त्रेषु सर्वेषु भक्षितेष्वायुधेषु च । मम तस्य च भूतस्य बाहुयुद्धमवर्तत,जब मेरे सारे अस्त्र-शस्त्र नष्ट होकर उसके आहार बन गये, तब मेरा उस अलौकिक प्राणीके साथ मल्लयुद्ध प्रारम्भ हो गया
hateṣv astreṣu sarveṣu bhakṣiteṣv āyudheṣu ca | mama tasya ca bhūtasya bāhu-yuddham avartata ||
فلما أُبيدت أسلحتي كلها، والتُهِمت عُدَّتي كأنها طعامه، ابتدأ بيني وبين ذلك الكائن الغريب قتالٌ بالأيدي.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When external supports (weapons, resources, advantages) fail, one must rely on inner steadiness—courage, discipline, and presence of mind. The verse highlights perseverance and the kṣatriya ideal of not abandoning the contest even when circumstances become adverse.
Arjuna says that after all his missiles were spent and his weapons were destroyed—so completely that the strange being effectively 'consumed' them—the fight shifted from armed combat to bāhu-yuddha, a direct hand-to-hand struggle between Arjuna and that supernatural creature.