Shloka 8
ततः प्रयत्नमातिष्ठदाचार्यस्तस्य वारणे । न चास्यास्त्राणि राजेन्द्र प्रादुगासन्महात्मन:,राजेन्द्र! तदनन्तर आचार्यने उस अस्त्रको रोकनेका प्रयत्न किया, परंतु उन महात्माके अन्तःकरणमें वे दिव्यास्त्र पूर्ववत् प्रकट न हो सके
tataḥ prayatnam ātiṣṭhad ācāryas tasya vāraṇe | na cāsyāstrāṇi rājendra prādugāsan mahātmanaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Thereupon the Teacher (Droṇa) exerted himself to check it; yet, O king, the divine weapons did not manifest again within that great-souled warrior as they had before. The moment underscores how, in the turmoil of war, even the might of celestial arms can fail when inner steadiness, favor, or the requisite spiritual condition is absent.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that extraordinary power (divyāstras) is not merely mechanical; its efficacy depends on inner fitness, composure, and the conditions that sustain spiritual-technical mastery. In the moral chaos of battle, even a great warrior may find that former powers do not arise when the requisite mental or dharmic ground is shaken.
After a dangerous weapon/act has been set in motion, Droṇa attempts to restrain or counter it. However, the great-souled warrior in question is unable to bring forth the divine weapons again—those astras do not manifest within him as they previously did—signaling a critical shift in capability at that moment.