Shloka 656
वसुदेव–अर्जुन संवादः
Vasudeva–Arjuna Dialogue in the Aftermath of Dvārakā
बभूव विमना: पार्थों दैवमित्यनुचिन्तयन् । अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका ज्ञान लुप्त हो गया। भुजाओंका बल भी घट गया। धनुष भी काबूके बाहर हो गया और अक्षयबाणोंका भी क्षय हो गया। इन सब बातोंसे अर्जुनका मन उदास हो गया। वे इन सब घटनाओंको दैवका विधान मानने लगे
babhūva vimanāḥ pārtho daivam ity anucintayan |
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Arjuna, hijo de Pṛthā, quedó abatido, pensando: «Esto es el destino». Su dominio de armas y proyectiles pareció desvanecerse; la fuerza de sus brazos menguó; incluso su arco se le fue de las manos; y sus flechas, antes inagotables, se consumieron. Al ver tales reveses, el corazón de Arjuna se hundió y empezó a aceptarlos como decreto de la fatalidad.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest human skill and strength are not absolute; when the time (kāla) and fate (daiva) turn, prowess fails. The passage ethically reframes agency: a kṣatriya who once relied on mastery must now recognize impermanence and submit to the larger moral-cosmic order that closes an era.
After the Yādavas’ destruction, Arjuna experiences a sudden decline: his knowledge of weapons seems lost, his arms weaken, his bow becomes unmanageable, and his famed inexhaustible arrows run out. He becomes sorrowful and interprets these signs as the working of fate.