Shloka 31
अध्याय ५८ — वानरध्वजस्य महेन्द्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Chapter 58: Arjuna’s Deployment of the Indra-Weapon
तथैव दिव्यं गाण्डीवं धनुरादाय पाण्डव: । शत्रुघ्नं वेगवान् हृष्टो भारसाधनमुत्तमम्
tathaiva divyaṃ gāṇḍīvaṃ dhanur ādāya pāṇḍavaḥ | śatrughnaṃ vegavān hṛṣṭo bhārasādhanam uttamam ||
Entonces, del mismo modo, el Pāṇḍava (Arjuna), veloz y exultante, tomó el arco divino Gāṇḍīva—arma excelsa, capaz de soportar gran tensión y destructora de enemigos. Con él derramó lluvias de flechas espléndidas, variadas y adornadas de oro; y con las andanadas soltadas desde su arco, contuvo y quebró con presteza la lluvia de saetas de Droṇa. La escena era maravillosa de contemplar: destreza disciplinada, dirigida a abatir al adversario y no a la mera furia.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined strength: even in battle, excellence lies in controlled skill and steadfast purpose—meeting force with mastery rather than uncontrolled fury, reflecting the kṣatriya ideal of duty-bound courage.
Vaiśampāyana describes Arjuna seizing the divine Gāṇḍīva and unleashing rapid volleys of arrows that neutralize Droṇa’s arrow-rain, creating a striking, almost miraculous spectacle of countering weaponry.