Shloka 55
गाण्डीवमुक्तैर्भुजगैरिवो ग्रै- दिवाकरांशुप्रतिमैज्वलद्धि: | “सव्यसाचिन्! सब लोग कहते हैं कि तुम परम उत्तम एवं मनके द्वारा प्रयोग करनेयोग्य महान ब्रह्मास्त्रके ज्ञाता हो; इसलिये तुम दूसरे किसी श्रेष्ठ अस्त्रका प्रयोग करो।” उनके ऐसा कहनेपर सव्यसाची अर्जुनने दूसरे दिव्यास्त्रका प्रयोग किया। इससे महातेजस्वी अर्जुनने अपने गाण्डीव धनुषसे छूटे हुए सर्पोके समान भयंकर और सूर्य-किरणोंके तुल्य तेजस्वी बाणोंद्वारा सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंको आच्छादित कर दिया, कोना-कोना ढक दिया || ५३-५४ || सृष्टास्तु बाणा भरतर्षभेण शतं शतानीव सुवर्णपुड्खा:
gāṇḍīvamuktair bhujagair ivograir divākarāṃśupratimaiḥ jvaladbhiḥ | sṛṣṭās tu bāṇā bharatarṣabheṇa śataṃ śatānīva suvarṇapuṅkhāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: From the Gāṇḍīva, Arjuna released arrows that were like fierce serpents—blazing and radiant like the sun’s rays—so that the directions seemed covered on every side. Then, O bull among the Bharatas, the arrows he discharged came in hundreds upon hundreds, each fitted with golden feathers. The scene underscores how mastery of divine weapons, though awe-inspiring, intensifies the moral weight of their use in war: skill and power must still answer to restraint and right purpose.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and expertise—especially in divine weaponry—carry ethical responsibility. The verse highlights overwhelming martial capability, implicitly reminding that such force should be governed by restraint and rightful intent, not mere display or anger.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna unleashing a massive volley of radiant arrows from the Gāṇḍīva. The arrows are compared to fierce serpents and sunbeams, filling the directions, and they come in ‘hundreds upon hundreds’ with golden fletching.