Shloka 22
Kṛṣṇa-vīrya-kathana
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s appraisal of Vāsudeva’s deeds
कच्चिद् गाण्डीवशब्देन न प्रणश्यति वै बलम् । यद्व: सभैरवं कुर्वन्नर्जुनो भूशमन्वयात्,जिस समय अर्जुनने अत्यन्त भयंकर सिंहनाद करते हुए तुमलोगोंका पीछा किया था, उस समय गाण्डीवकी टंकार सुनकर हमारी सेना भाग तो नहीं गयी थी?
kaccid gāṇḍīva-śabdena na praṇaśyati vai balam | yad vaḥ sabhairavaṁ kurvann arjuno bhūśam anvayāt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Tell me—did our army not collapse in panic at the very sound of the Gāṇḍīva? When Arjuna, raising a terrifying lion-roar, pursued you relentlessly across the battlefield, did the twang of his bow not send our forces fleeing?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how morale and fear can decide outcomes in war: a warrior’s reputation and the sensory shock of his presence (here, Arjuna’s roar and the Gāṇḍīva’s twang) can shatter an army’s resolve even before physical defeat, underscoring the ethical demand on kṣatriyas to maintain steadiness under terror.
Vaiśampāyana recalls a moment when Arjuna pursued the opposing side with a frightening battle-cry; he asks anxiously whether the Kaurava force broke and fled merely upon hearing the famous sound of Arjuna’s bow, the Gāṇḍīva.