Shloka 77
येनाजयद् देवपतिर्बलिं वैरोचनिं पुरा । ततो देवा: सर्व एव तेन घोषेण बोधिता:,तत्पश्चात् मेरे गाण्डीव धनुषमें उन्होंने यह अटूट प्रत्यज्चा जोड़ दी। इस प्रकार युद्धकी सामग्रियोंसे सम्पन्न होकर उस तेजस्वी रथके द्वारा मैं संग्रामके लिये प्रस्थित हुआ, जिसपर आरूढ़ होकर पूर्वकालमें देवराजने विरोचनकुमार बलिको परास्त किया था। महाराज! तब उस रथकी घर्घराहटसे सजग हो सब देवता मुझे देवराज समझकर मेरे पास आये और मुझे देखकर पूछने लगे--'अर्जुन! तुम क्या करनेकी तैयारीमें हो?”
Arjuna uvāca — yena ajayad devapatir baliṃ vairocaniṃ purā | tato devāḥ sarva eva tena ghoṣeṇa bodhitāḥ | tatpaścāt me gāṇḍīva-dhanuṣi taiḥ eṣā aṭūṭā pratyacā yojitā | evaṃ yuddha-sāmagrībhiḥ sampannaḥ tena tejasvinā rathena ahaṃ saṃgrāmāya prasthitaḥ, yasmin ārūḍhaḥ pūrvakāle devarājaḥ vairocani-putraṃ baliṃ parājitavān | mahārāja, tadā tasya rathasya ghargharāhaṭena sajagāḥ sarve devāḥ māṃ devarājaṃ matvā mama samīpam ājagmuḥ; māṃ dṛṣṭvā ca papracchuḥ — “arjuna, tvaṃ kiṃ kartum ārabdhavān asi?”
Arjuna said: “That very chariot by which the lord of the gods once defeated Bali, the son of Virocana—by its thunderous sound all the gods were alerted. After that, they fitted onto my Gāṇḍīva bow an unbreakable bowstring. Thus fully equipped with the implements of war, I set out for battle upon that radiant chariot—the same on which, in former times, the king of the gods overcame Bali, Virocana’s son. O King, then, awakened by the chariot’s rumbling, the gods came to me, mistaking me for Indra; and seeing me, they asked: ‘Arjuna, what are you preparing to do?’”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights dharmic readiness and the ethical weight of martial action: Arjuna does not rush into violence casually; he is formally equipped, supported by divine powers, and his intent is scrutinized by the gods. It underscores that power and weapons are to be aligned with rightful purpose (dharma), not mere prowess.
Arjuna describes receiving Indra’s famed chariot and an unbreakable bowstring for his Gāṇḍīva. As he sets out for battle, the chariot’s roar alerts the gods, who approach thinking he is Indra; on realizing it is Arjuna, they ask what undertaking he is preparing for.