Shloka 23
ततोअप्यस्त्रं दयितं देवराज्ञ: प्रादुश्षक्रे वज्मतिप्रभावम् । गाण्डीवं ज्यां विशिखांश्चानुमन्त्रय धनंजय: शत्रुभिरप्रधृष्य:
tato 'py astraṃ dayitaṃ devarājñaḥ prāduś cakre vajramatiprabhāvam | gāṇḍīvaṃ jyāṃ viśikhāṃś cānumantrya dhanañjayaḥ śatrubhir apradhṛṣyaḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: Ainda assim, Dhanañjaya—inatacável por seus inimigos—invocou a arma querida do Senhor dos deuses, um projétil de poder avassalador, semelhante ao raio. Depois de consagrar com mantras o arco Gāṇḍīva, sua corda e suas flechas, manifestou aquela poderosa arma divina, cara a Indra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined power: even overwhelming force (a thunderbolt-like astra) is not mere violence but a controlled, mantra-governed act used to counter an enemy’s advantage and re-establish rightful order in battle.
In the midst of battlefield confusion and hostile conditions, Arjuna empowers his bow, string, and arrows with mantras and then manifests a mighty divine weapon associated with Indra, signaling a decisive countermeasure against the enemy’s tactics.