Shloka 56

Devanagari script

क्षुरैगाण्डीवनिर्मुक्ति्नातियत्नादिवार्जुन: । वे गाण्डीव धनुषसे छूटे हुए तेज धारवाले धुरोंसे बिना परिश्रमके ही उनके मस्तक काटने लगे

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: kṣuraiḥ gāṇḍīva-nirmuktaiḥ nāti-yatnād iva Arjunaḥ | te gāṇḍīva-dhanuṣaḥ chūṭe huye teja-dhāra-vāle dhurōṃ se binā pariśrama ke hī unke mastak kāṭne lage |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: With razor-sharp missiles released from the Gāṇḍīva, Arjuna—almost without exertion—began to sever their heads. The narration underscores the overwhelming, disciplined force of a master archer: when power is joined to skill, violence becomes effortless, raising an implicit ethical tension about the ease with which life can be taken in the wake of war.

Word by Word

क्षुरैःwith razors; with sharp blades

गाण्डीव-निर्मुक्तैःreleased from (the bow) Gāṇḍīva

अतियत्नात्from excessive effort; with great exertion (as a point of comparison)

इवas if; like

अर्जुनःArjuna

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Arjuna

Gāṇḍīva (bow)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how perfected martial skill can make killing seem effortless; ethically, it invites reflection on the responsibility that accompanies power—especially in a post-war setting where the line between necessary force and excess can become thin.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes Arjuna releasing razor-like, keen-edged missiles from the Gāṇḍīva and, with minimal exertion, cutting down opponents by severing their heads—an image of decisive, overwhelming archery.