Shloka 17
मौसलपर्व — अध्याय ८
Arjuna’s evacuation of Dvārakā, Vasudeva’s rites, and the caravan’s crisis
धनुरादाय तत्राहं नाशकं तस्य पूरणे
dhanur ādāya tatrāhaṃ nāśakaṃ tasya pūraṇe
तत्राहं धनुरादाय तस्य पूरणेऽक्षमः। यत् पूर्वं मम वश्यं स्याद् धनुः, तत् क्षणे तस्मिन् न मे वशं जगाम। कालपर्ययवशात् बलं कौशलं च नित्यं न तिष्ठति; तस्मात् समर्थोऽपि नरः स्वसीमां नम्रतया प्रतिपद्यते॥
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.