Shloka 55
वसुदेव–अर्जुन संवादः
Vasudeva–Arjuna Dialogue in the Aftermath of Dvārakā
तब अर्जुनने अपने दिव्य एवं कभी जीर्ण न होनेवाले विशाल धनुष गाण्डीवको चढ़ाना आस्मभ किया और बड़े प्रयत्नसे किसी तरह उसे चढ़ा दिया ।। चकार सज्जं कृच्छेण सम्भ्रमे तुमुले सति | चिन्तयामास शस्त्राणि न च सस्मार तान्यपि,भयंकर मार-काट छिड़नेपर बड़ी कठिनाईसे उन्होंने धनुषपर प्रत्यञज्चा तो चढ़ा दी; परंतु जब वे अपने अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका चिन्तन करने लगे तब उन्हें उनकी याद बिलकुल नहीं आयी
vaishampāyana uvāca | cakāra sajjaṃ kṛcchreṇa sambhrame tumule sati | cintayāmāsa śastrāṇi na ca sasmāra tāny api ||
Vaiśampāyana said: In the midst of that tumultuous panic, Arjuna, with great difficulty, managed to make his bow ready. Yet when he tried to recollect his weapons and missiles, he could not remember them at all. The scene signals a moral turning-point: the heroic power once upheld by dharma now withdraws, as the age changes and violence erupts without righteous purpose.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest human prowess depends on dharma and the supporting order of time; when that order collapses and violence becomes unrighteous, power and memory fail. The verse underscores impermanence and the withdrawal of divine efficacy as the age turns.
During a fierce, chaotic outbreak of violence, Arjuna struggles to ready his bow, but when he attempts to summon the knowledge and use of his weapons, he cannot remember them—marking a dramatic weakening of his former martial capability.