Shloka 526
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
इषूणामक्षयत्वं च धनुषो गाण्डिवस्य च । तत्पश्चात् वहाँ शूरवीर कुन्तीकुमारकी भुजाओंका बल देखा गया। उनके गाण्डीव धनुष तथा बाणोंकी अक्षयताका परिचय मिला
sañjaya uvāca |
iṣūṇām akṣayatvaṃ ca dhanuṣo gāṇḍīvasya ca |
Sañjaya said: “And there was the inexhaustibility of the arrows, and of the bow Gāṇḍīva as well.” Then the strength of the arms of that hero, Kuntī’s son, was seen there—his Gāṇḍīva and his shafts seeming without end, not merely as martial advantage but as the moral weight of a cause upheld by a higher order.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that extraordinary power in war is not only a matter of skill but can be portrayed as ‘akṣaya’—unfailing—when aligned with a larger dharmic momentum. It frames Arjuna’s effectiveness as sustained and reliable, evoking the idea that righteous resolve and divinely sanctioned instruments can appear inexhaustible in their purpose.
Sanjaya reports a battlefield observation: Arjuna’s arrows and his bow Gāṇḍīva seem inexhaustible. The surrounding narrative (as reflected in the accompanying prose) emphasizes that warriors witness the strength of the Kuntī-born hero’s arms and the unfailing capacity of his weapons.