Shloka 526
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
इषूणामक्षयत्वं च धनुषो गाण्डिवस्य च । तत्पश्चात् वहाँ शूरवीर कुन्तीकुमारकी भुजाओंका बल देखा गया। उनके गाण्डीव धनुष तथा बाणोंकी अक्षयताका परिचय मिला
sañjaya uvāca |
iṣūṇām akṣayatvaṃ ca dhanuṣo gāṇḍīvasya ca |
Sañjaya dit : «Et l’on vit l’inépuisable flot des flèches, et l’arc Gāṇḍīva lui-même, inépuisable.» Alors apparut la force des bras du héros, fils de Kuntī. Son Gāṇḍīva et ses traits semblaient sans fin : non seulement une supériorité guerrière, mais le poids moral d’une cause que soutient un ordre plus haut, où la résolution et le juste dessein paraissent affermis au-delà des limites ordinaires.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that extraordinary power in war is not only a matter of skill but can be portrayed as ‘akṣaya’—unfailing—when aligned with a larger dharmic momentum. It frames Arjuna’s effectiveness as sustained and reliable, evoking the idea that righteous resolve and divinely sanctioned instruments can appear inexhaustible in their purpose.
Sanjaya reports a battlefield observation: Arjuna’s arrows and his bow Gāṇḍīva seem inexhaustible. The surrounding narrative (as reflected in the accompanying prose) emphasizes that warriors witness the strength of the Kuntī-born hero’s arms and the unfailing capacity of his weapons.