Shloka 32
अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः
तौ बाहू स च मे मुष्टिः स्थानं तत् सो ऽस्मि चार्जुनः पुण्येनैव विना तेन गतं सर्वम् असारताम्
tau bāhū sa ca me muṣṭiḥ sthānaṃ tat so 'smi cārjunaḥ puṇyenaiva vinā tena gataṃ sarvam asāratām
These are the very arms, and this is my clenched fist; this is the same seat of power—and I am that very Arjuna. Yet without that former store of merit, everything has slipped into emptiness and lost its essence.
Arjuna (a royal/heroic figure referenced in the dynastic narrative, speaking in lament)
Concept: Even with the same body and status, without prior merit (puṇya) everything becomes hollow and loses its efficacy.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate steady sādhana and ethical living rather than relying on past achievements; accept reversals as prompts for detachment and devotion.
Vishishtadvaita: Merit and capacity are upheld within Bhagavān’s moral order; the jīva’s powers are dependent and contingent, supporting śaraṇāgati.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
The verse declares that even unchanged strength and status become futile when the prior accumulation of merit (puṇya) is lost—highlighting that dharmic merit is the hidden support of worldly power.
By framing kingship as dependent on dharma and merit: when virtue diminishes (a common Kali Yuga theme in Ansha 4), the same person and resources yield only hollow results.
Within Vaishnava cosmology, Vishnu upholds cosmic order (dharma); the loss of merit reflects a falling away from that sustaining order, making worldly strength ‘asāra’ without alignment to the divine law Vishnu maintains.