Shloka 29

Arjuna’s Concentrated Archery and the Rout of the Kaurava Mahārathas

Gāṇḍīva-Nirghoṣa Episode

Devanagari script

छिन्ने धनुषि पार्थेन सो5न्यदादाय कार्मुकम्‌ | चकार गौतम: सज्यं तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्‌,अर्जुनद्वारा धनुष काट दिये जानेपर गौतम (कृप) ने दूसरा धनुष लेकर उसपर प्रत्यंचा चढ़ा ली। यह एक अदभुत-सी बात हुई

Transliteration

chinne dhanuṣi pārthena so 'nyad ādāya kārmukam | cakāra gautamaḥ sajyaṃ tad adbhutam ivābhavat ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Als Pārtha (Arjuna) Kripas Bogen zerschnitten hatte, nahm Gautama (Kṛpa) sogleich einen anderen Bogen und spannte ihn. Die Schnelligkeit und Fassung, mit der er sich mitten im Kampf wieder fing, schien beinahe wundersam—ein Zeichen der Disziplin eines erfahrenen Kriegers, der selbst beim Bruch seiner Waffe die Standhaftigkeit nicht verliert.

Word by Word

छिन्नेwhen (it was) cut

धनुषिin the bow

पार्थेनby Partha (Arjuna)

सःhe

अन्यत्another (one)

आदायhaving taken

कार्मुकम्bow

चकारmade

गौतमःGautama (Kripa)

सज्यम्strung (with a bowstring)

तत्that

अद्भुतम्wonderful

इवas if/like

अभवत्became/was

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pārtha (Arjuna)

Gautama (Kṛpa)

dhanuṣ (bow)

kārmuka (bow)

pratyañcā (bowstring, implied by sajyam)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights warrior-discipline: even when one’s weapon is destroyed, a trained fighter maintains steadiness, adapts instantly, and continues without losing self-control—an aspect of kṣatriya-dharma and mental resilience.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna (Pārtha) cuts Kṛpa’s bow. Kṛpa (called Gautama) immediately takes another bow and strings it, and this swift recovery is described as astonishing.