Shloka 64
अध्याय ५८ — वानरध्वजस्य महेन्द्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Chapter 58: Arjuna’s Deployment of the Indra-Weapon
अथ गाण्डीवमुद्यम्य दिव्यं धनुरमर्षण: । विचकर्ष रणे पार्थो बाहुभ्यां भरतर्षभ,जनमेजय! तदनन्तर रणभूमिमें कुन्तीपुत्रने दिव्य गाण्डीव धनुषको ऊँचे उठाकर कुपित हो उसे दोनों हाथोंसे खींचना आरम्भ किया
atha gāṇḍīvam udyamya divyaṃ dhanur amarṣaṇaḥ | vicakarṣa raṇe pārtho bāhubhyāṃ bharatarṣabha janamejaya ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, in the midst of battle, Pārtha (Arjuna)—his patience exhausted—lifted up the divine bow Gāṇḍīva and began to draw it back with both arms, O bull among the Bharatas, Janamejaya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between restraint and necessary action: when injustice or threat reaches a limit, a dharmic warrior may be compelled to act decisively. Arjuna’s ‘amarṣaṇa’ (intolerance of wrongdoing/insult) is framed not as mere rage but as resolve to uphold duty in a righteous conflict.
In the battle scene, Arjuna raises his divine bow Gāṇḍīva and begins to draw it with both arms, signaling readiness to unleash his martial power. The narrator Vaiśampāyana reports this to King Janamejaya, marking an escalation toward decisive combat.