Shloka 40
Virāṭa’s Conciliation and Uttara’s Account of the Unseen Champion
Bṛhannadā/Arjuna
आददानस्य हि शरान् संधाय च विमुड्चत: । विकर्षतश्न गाण्डीवं नानतरं समदृश्यत,“अर्जुन कब बाण निकालते हैं, कब चढ़ाते हैं, कब छोड़ते हैं और कब गाण्डीव धनुषको खींचते हैं तथा इन क्रियाओंमें कितना अन्तर पड़ता है; यह सब किसीको दिखायी ही नहीं देता था
ādādānasya hi śarān saṃdhāya ca vimuñcataḥ | vikarṣataś ca gāṇḍīvaṃ nāntaraṃ samadṛśyata ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As Arjuna took up his arrows, set them to the bow, released them, and drew back the Gāṇḍīva, no interval between these actions could be perceived.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined mastery: when skill is perfected and guided by dharma, action becomes swift, controlled, and purposeful rather than chaotic. It also underscores how true excellence can appear effortless to onlookers.
Vaiśampāyana describes Arjuna’s extraordinary speed and precision in archery: observers cannot even perceive the gaps between taking an arrow, nocking it, releasing it, and drawing the Gāṇḍīva again.