Shloka 316
Chapter 30: Formation Disruption, Competing War-Cries, and Nīla’s Fall
Droṇa-parva
गाण्डीवस्य च निर्घोष: श्रुतो दक्षिणतो मया । महाराज! उस समय हमलोग उड़ती हुई धूलराशिसे व्याप्त हुई सेनामें कहीं अर्जुनको देख नहीं पाते थे। मुझे तो दक्षिण दिशाकी ओर केवल उनके धनुषकी टंकार सुनायी देती थी
gāṇḍīvasya ca nirghoṣaḥ śruto dakṣiṇato mayā | mahārāja! tadā vayam uḍḍīyamāna-dhūla-rāśi-vyāptāyāṃ senāyāṃ kvacid arjunaṃ na paśyāmaḥ | mama tu dakṣiṇa-diśi kevalaṃ tasya dhanuṣo ṭaṅkāraḥ śrūyate sma |
Sañjaya said: “And I heard the thunderous sound of Gāṇḍīva from the southern side. O great king, at that moment, with the army engulfed in clouds of rising dust, we could not see Arjuna anywhere. From the south I could hear only the sharp twang of his bow.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the confusion and moral turbulence of war, signs of disciplined skill and resolve remain recognizable. Arjuna is not seen through the dust, yet the unmistakable sound of Gāṇḍīva signals focused agency—suggesting that steadfast competence and purpose can cut through chaos, though the broader ethical tragedy of war persists.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield is choked with flying dust, making Arjuna impossible to spot. However, from the southern side Sañjaya distinctly hears the powerful twang/roar of Arjuna’s bow Gāṇḍīva, indicating Arjuna’s presence and action in that direction.