Shloka 53
अजुन उवाच भीम नारायणास्त्रे मे गोषु च ब्राह्मणेषु च । एतेषु गाण्डिवं न्यस्यमेतद्धि व्रतमुत्तमम्,अर्जुन बोले--भैया भीमसेन! नारायणास्त्र, गौ और ब्राह्मण--इनके समक्ष गाण्डीव धनुषको नीचे डाल दिया जाय; यही मेरा उत्तम व्रत है
arjuna uvāca bhīma nārāyaṇāstre me goṣu ca brāhmaṇeṣu ca | eteṣu gāṇḍīvaṁ nyasyam etad dhi vratam uttamam ||
Arjuna said: “Brother Bhima, when the Nārāyaṇa weapon is in play—and in the presence of cows and brāhmaṇas—I will lay down the Gāṇḍīva bow. This indeed is my highest vow.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid warfare, dharma requires restraint: in the presence of sacred beings (brāhmaṇas) and protected life (cows), and when a divine weapon like the Nārāyaṇa Astra is involved, Arjuna chooses non-aggression—symbolized by laying down the Gāṇḍīva—as a supreme vow.
Arjuna addresses Bhima and declares his resolve that under specific conditions—particularly when the Nārāyaṇa Astra is operative and when cows and brāhmaṇas are present—he will not fight but will set aside his bow, indicating a deliberate pause or withdrawal in obedience to dharmic limits.