Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 9
Adhyāya 61: Saṃmohana-astra and the Kuru Withdrawal (संमोहनास्त्रं तथा कुरुनिवृत्तिः)
अलातचक्रप्रतिमं मण्डलं सततं त्वया । व्याक्षिप्पमाणं समरे गाण्डीवं च प्रकर्षता । दृष्टि: प्रचलिता वीर हृदयं दीर्यतीव मे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | alātacakrapratimaṃ maṇḍalaṃ satataṃ tvayā | vyākṣippamāṇaṃ samare gāṇḍīvaṃ ca prakarṣatā | dṛṣṭiḥ pracalitā vīra hṛdayaṃ dīryatīva me ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Wenn du in der Schlacht unablässig die Gāṇḍīva spannst und wirbelnd schwingst, erscheint sie wie ein flammender Kreis, wie ein Feuerbrand, der zum Rad gedreht wird. Beim Anblick dessen, o Held, gerät mein Blick ins Wanken, und mein Herz fühlt sich an, als würde es zerrissen.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming power and focus of a righteous warrior in battle: disciplined skill can appear almost superhuman, inspiring awe and even fear, reminding listeners of the grave moral weight and emotional cost that warfare imposes on the human heart.
The speaker describes a warrior (implied Arjuna by the mention of the Gāṇḍīva) continuously drawing and whirling his bow in combat so swiftly that it looks like a circle of fire; the observer is so struck by the spectacle that his vision wavers and his heart feels torn.