Shloka 656
वसुदेव–अर्जुन संवादः
Vasudeva–Arjuna Dialogue in the Aftermath of Dvārakā
बभूव विमना: पार्थों दैवमित्यनुचिन्तयन् । अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका ज्ञान लुप्त हो गया। भुजाओंका बल भी घट गया। धनुष भी काबूके बाहर हो गया और अक्षयबाणोंका भी क्षय हो गया। इन सब बातोंसे अर्जुनका मन उदास हो गया। वे इन सब घटनाओंको दैवका विधान मानने लगे
babhūva vimanāḥ pārtho daivam ity anucintayan |
Vaiśampāyana disse: Arjuna, filho de Pṛthā, ficou desalentado, pensando: “Isto é o destino.” Seu domínio de armas e projéteis pareceu desaparecer; a força de seus braços diminuiu; até o seu arco escapou ao controle; e suas flechas, antes inesgotáveis, se consumiram. Diante dessas reviravoltas, o coração de Arjuna afundou, e ele passou a aceitá-las como decreto da fatalidade.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest human skill and strength are not absolute; when the time (kāla) and fate (daiva) turn, prowess fails. The passage ethically reframes agency: a kṣatriya who once relied on mastery must now recognize impermanence and submit to the larger moral-cosmic order that closes an era.
After the Yādavas’ destruction, Arjuna experiences a sudden decline: his knowledge of weapons seems lost, his arms weaken, his bow becomes unmanageable, and his famed inexhaustible arrows run out. He becomes sorrowful and interprets these signs as the working of fate.