Shloka 5
Arjuna’s Lament, the End of the Yadus, and the Pāṇḍavas’ Departure
अर्जुन उवाच वञ्चितोऽहं महाराज हरिणा बन्धुरूपिणा । येन मेऽपहृतं तेजो देवविस्मापनं महत् ॥ ५ ॥
arjuna uvāca vañcito ’haṁ mahā-rāja hariṇā bandhu-rūpiṇā yena me ’pahṛtaṁ tejo deva-vismāpanaṁ mahat
अर्जुन उवाच—महाराज, बन्धुरूपिणा हरिणा अहं वञ्चितः; येन मे देवविस्मापनं महत्तेजोऽपहृतम्॥
In the Bhagavad-gītā (10.41) the Lord says, “Anyone specifically powerful and opulent in wealth, strength, beauty, knowledge and all that is materially desirable is to be considered but a product of an insignificant portion of the complete whole of My energy.” No one, therefore, can be independently powerful in any measure without being endowed by the Lord. When the Lord descends to the earth along with His eternal, ever-liberated associates, He not only displays the divine energy possessed by Himself, but also empowers His associate devotees with the required energy to execute His mission of incarnation. It is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.5) that the Lord and His eternal associates descend to the earth many times, but the Lord remembers all the different roles of incarnations, whereas the associates, by His supreme will, forget them. Similarly, the Lord takes away with Him all His associates when He disappears from the earth. The power and energy which were bestowed upon Arjuna were required for fulfillment of the mission of the Lord, but when His mission was fulfilled, the emergency powers were withdrawn from Arjuna because the astounding powers of Arjuna, which were astonishing even to the denizens of heaven, were no longer required, and they were not meant for going back home, back to Godhead. If endowment of powers and withdrawal of powers by the Lord are possible even for a great devotee like Arjuna, or even the demigods in heaven, then what to speak of the ordinary living beings who are but figs compared to such great souls. The lesson is, therefore, that no one should be puffed up for his powers borrowed from the Lord. The sane man should rather feel obliged to the Lord for such benefactions and must utilize such power for the service of the Lord. Such power can be withdrawn at any time by the Lord, so the best use of such power and opulence is to engage them in the service of the Lord.
FAQs
Arjuna expresses devotional humility and shock in separation: Krishna, appearing as his close relative and friend, withdrew His manifest support, revealing that Arjuna’s extraordinary prowess depended on the Lord’s grace.
Arjuna is speaking to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, explaining the change in his strength and the deeper reason—Krishna’s departure and withdrawal of His empowering presence.
It teaches that success and strength are ultimately sustained by divine grace; cultivating devotion, gratitude, and humility helps one remain steady when external abilities or circumstances suddenly change.