Shloka 17

Devanagari script

धनुरादाय तत्राहं नाशकं तस्य पूरणे

Transliteration

dhanur ādāya tatrāhaṃ nāśakaṃ tasya pūraṇe

Translation

Ali tomei o arco, mas vi-me incapaz de encordoá-lo. Naquele instante, o instrumento que outrora respondia à minha vontade revelou uma verdade severa: força e domínio não permanecem para sempre; quando o tempo se volta, até o capaz deve aceitar seus limites com humildade.

Word by Word

धनुःbow

आदायhaving taken

तत्रthere

अहम्I

नnot

अशकम्was not able

तस्यof him/that

पूरणेin the stringing/filling (i.e., in fitting/setting)

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

bow (dhanuḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores impermanence: personal power and skill are not absolute possessions. When time and destiny shift, one must respond with dharmic humility rather than pride, recognizing that agency operates within larger cosmic limits.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna reports that, upon taking up his bow, he could not even string it. This signals a turning point after the great war—an experiential sign that the age has changed and that the heroes’ former prowess is waning.