Shloka 180
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
यदाश्रौष॑ वासुदेवार्जुनौ तौ तथा धनुर्गाण्डीवमप्रमेयम् । त्रीण्युग्रवीयाणि समागतानि तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,संजय! जब मैंने सुना कि भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण, वीरवर अर्जुन और अतुलित शक्तिशाली गाण्डीव धनुष--ये तीनों भयंकर प्रभावशाली शक्तियाँ इकट्टी हो गयी हैं, तभी मैंने विजयकी आशा छोड़ दी
yadāśrauṣa vāsudevārjunau tau tathā dhanur gāṇḍīvam aprameyam | trīṇy ugravīryāṇi samāgatāni tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya sañjaya sañjaya ||
Ó Sañjaya! Quando ouvi que Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) e Arjuna estavam juntos, e que ali também se encontrava o arco Gāṇḍīva, de poder incomensurável—quando essas três forças de terrível valor se haviam unido—então abandonei a esperança de vitória. O verso enquadra a vitória não como mera questão de números ou estratégia, mas como o peso moral e espiritual que se reúne onde a orientação de Kṛṣṇa e o heroísmo disciplinado de Arjuna permanecem unidos.
Educational Q&A
The verse suggests that true victory follows the convergence of righteous agency and higher guidance: Arjuna’s prowess (symbolized by Gāṇḍīva) becomes decisive when aligned with Kṛṣṇa’s presence and counsel, making mere worldly calculations of strength secondary.
The speaker addresses Sañjaya, saying that upon hearing Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna united—and with Arjuna’s incomparable bow Gāṇḍīva present—he abandons hope of victory for the opposing side, recognizing the overwhelming force created by their union.