Shloka 180
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
यदाश्रौष॑ वासुदेवार्जुनौ तौ तथा धनुर्गाण्डीवमप्रमेयम् । त्रीण्युग्रवीयाणि समागतानि तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,संजय! जब मैंने सुना कि भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण, वीरवर अर्जुन और अतुलित शक्तिशाली गाण्डीव धनुष--ये तीनों भयंकर प्रभावशाली शक्तियाँ इकट्टी हो गयी हैं, तभी मैंने विजयकी आशा छोड़ दी
yadāśrauṣa vāsudevārjunau tau tathā dhanur gāṇḍīvam aprameyam | trīṇy ugravīryāṇi samāgatāni tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya sañjaya sañjaya ||
When I heard that Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) and Arjuna were together, and that the immeasurable bow Gāṇḍīva was there as well—when these three forces of terrible prowess had united—then, O Sañjaya, I no longer held out hope for victory. The verse frames victory not as mere numbers or strategy, but as the moral and spiritual weight that gathers where Kṛṣṇa’s guidance and Arjuna’s disciplined heroism stand united.
Educational Q&A
The verse suggests that true victory follows the convergence of righteous agency and higher guidance: Arjuna’s prowess (symbolized by Gāṇḍīva) becomes decisive when aligned with Kṛṣṇa’s presence and counsel, making mere worldly calculations of strength secondary.
The speaker addresses Sañjaya, saying that upon hearing Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna united—and with Arjuna’s incomparable bow Gāṇḍīva present—he abandons hope of victory for the opposing side, recognizing the overwhelming force created by their union.