Shloka 16
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
तस्य लाघवमार्गस्थमलातसदृश प्र भम् । दिश: पर्यपतच्चापं गाण्डीवमिव घोषवत्
tasya lāghavamārgastham alātacakrasadṛśaprabham | diśaḥ paryapatac cāpaṃ gāṇḍīvam iva ghoṣavat ||
Sañjaya said: His bow, moving along the swift path of his hands, shone like a whirling firebrand that draws a circle of light; resounding like Gāṇḍīva, it swept around as if ranging through all directions—an image of disciplined martial skill unleashed in the righteous fury of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined skill and focused energy in battle: agility guided by training turns a weapon into an all-encompassing force, suggesting that power in war is ethically weighty and must be governed by kṣatriya-dharma rather than mere rage.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s bow being whirled and drawn so swiftly that it appears as a circular blaze like a spinning firebrand, and it roars like Gāṇḍīva, seeming to sweep across all directions as the fighting intensifies.