Shloka 22
अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः
चकार सज्जं कृच्छ्राच् च तच् चाभूच् छिथिलं पुनः न सस्मार तथास्त्राणि चिन्तयन्न् अपि पाण्डवः
cakāra sajjaṃ kṛcchrāc ca tac cābhūc chithilaṃ punaḥ na sasmāra tathāstrāṇi cintayann api pāṇḍavaḥ
With great effort the Pāṇḍava made himself ready for action; yet again his resolve slackened. Even while trying to recollect, he could not bring to mind those divine weapons.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya in the Vishnu Purana’s royal-history section)
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: revealing
Concept: Memory, skill, and even heroic resolve can collapse under the pressure of time and destiny; only the imperishable refuge is the Lord.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Build spiritual practice not on peak experiences but on steady disciplines—japa, śāstra-study, and surrender when the mind fails.
Vishishtadvaita: Finite faculties (jñāna/śakti) are attributes of the jīva that contract/expand by karma and the Lord’s governance; steadfast śaraṇāgati is the stable support.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It underscores human limitation at critical moments—strength and training can fail when resolve collapses—highlighting that worldly power is unstable without steadiness aligned to dharma and the higher order upheld by Vishnu.
Through concise battle-episodes like this, Parāśara depicts inner weakness (slackening of determination and memory) as a decisive cause of defeat or danger, reinforcing the Purāṇic theme that character and inner steadiness govern outcomes as much as weapons do.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the narrative operates within his cosmic sovereignty: human prowess is contingent, while the ultimate stability of order and destiny belongs to the Supreme Reality who sustains dharma.