Shloka 96
न गृह्नन् न क्षिपन् राजन् मुज्चन्नापि च संदधत् । अदृश्यतार्जुन: संख्ये शीघ्रास्त्रत्वात् कथंचन,राजन! उस समय युद्धस्थलमें अर्जुन इतनी फुर्तीसे बाण चलाते थे कि कोई किसी प्रकार भी यह न देख सका कि वे कब बाण लेते हैं, कब उसे धनुषपर रखते हैं, कब प्रत्यंचा खींचते हैं और कब वह बाण छोड़ते हैं
na gṛhṇan na kṣipan rājan muñcannāpi ca saṃdadhat | adṛśyatārjunaḥ saṅkhye śīghrāstratvāt kathaṃcana ||
Sañjaya said: O King, on the battlefield Arjuna could not be seen either taking up arrows, or setting them in place, or even releasing them and fitting the next; such was the sheer speed of his weapon-skill that no one could discern any of it. The verse underscores how disciplined mastery in war can render action almost invisible—power that, in this context, serves the grim necessities of battle rather than personal display.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined mastery: when skill is perfected through training and focus, action becomes seamless and almost imperceptible. In the epic’s ethical frame, such prowess is not praised as spectacle but as effective fulfillment of a warrior’s duty amid the harsh demands of war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna is shooting with such extraordinary speed that observers cannot perceive the stages of archery—taking an arrow, setting it, drawing, and releasing—because his missile-skill is exceedingly swift.