Shloka 9
Adhyāya 61: Saṃmohana-astra and the Kuru Withdrawal (संमोहनास्त्रं तथा कुरुनिवृत्तिः)
अलातचक्रप्रतिमं मण्डलं सततं त्वया । व्याक्षिप्पमाणं समरे गाण्डीवं च प्रकर्षता । दृष्टि: प्रचलिता वीर हृदयं दीर्यतीव मे,“रणभूमिमें आप निरन्तर गाण्डीव धनुषको खींचते और टंकारते रहते हैं, जिससे यह अलातचक्रके समान गोल प्रतीत होता है। उसे देखकर मेरी आँखें चौधियाँ रही हैं तथा हृदय फटा-सा जा रहा है
vaiśampāyana uvāca | alātacakrapratimaṃ maṇḍalaṃ satataṃ tvayā | vyākṣippamāṇaṃ samare gāṇḍīvaṃ ca prakarṣatā | dṛṣṭiḥ pracalitā vīra hṛdayaṃ dīryatīva me ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “As you ceaselessly draw and whirl the Gāṇḍīva in battle, it appears like a circular blaze, like a firebrand spun into a wheel. Seeing it, my sight is unsettled, O hero, and my heart feels as though it is being torn apart.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming power and focus of a righteous warrior in battle: disciplined skill can appear almost superhuman, inspiring awe and even fear, reminding listeners of the grave moral weight and emotional cost that warfare imposes on the human heart.
The speaker describes a warrior (implied Arjuna by the mention of the Gāṇḍīva) continuously drawing and whirling his bow in combat so swiftly that it looks like a circle of fire; the observer is so struck by the spectacle that his vision wavers and his heart feels torn.