Shloka 22
Kuru-Sainika-Āśvāsana and Vijayaghoṣaṇa
Reassuring the Kuru Soldiers; Proclaiming Victory
आददानस्य हि शरान् संधाय च विमुज्चत: । विकर्षतश्न गाण्डीवं न कश्चिद् दद्शे जन:
ādadānasya hi śarān sandhāya ca vimucyataḥ | vikarṣataś ca gāṇḍīvaṃ na kaścid dadarśa janaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As Arjuna took up the arrows, set them to the bow, drew back the Gāṇḍīva, and released them, no person could even see him in the act. The scene reveals his disciplined mastery—power governed by purpose—so controlled and swift that it becomes almost imperceptible to ordinary sight.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined excellence: true power is not mere display but controlled mastery directed toward a rightful aim. Arjuna’s near-invisible speed symbolizes training, focus, and restraint—qualities expected of a kṣatriya when action is required.
Vaiśampāyana describes Arjuna’s extraordinary archery: as he takes arrows, fits them, draws the Gāṇḍīva, and releases, observers cannot even perceive the sequence. It emphasizes the overwhelming superiority of his technique in the unfolding combat context of the Virāṭa episode.