Shloka 376

Devanagari script

दीप्यमानमिवाकाशे गाण्डीवं समदृश्यत । सुदृढ़ धनुष धारण करनेवाले अर्जुन जब सहस्रों बाणोंकी सृष्टि करने लगे, उस समय उनका गाण्डीव धनुष आकाशमें प्रज्वलित-सा दिखायी देने लगा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | dīpyamānam ivākāśe gāṇḍīvaṃ samadṛśyata | sudṛḍha-dhanuṣ-dhāraṇa-karaṇe vāle arjuna yathā sahasrāṇi bāṇānāṃ sṛṣṭiṃ kartum ārabdhavān, tadā tasya gāṇḍīvaṃ dhanuḥ ākāśe prajvalitam iva dṛśyate sma |

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Trên bầu trời, cây cung Gāṇḍīva của Arjuna hiện ra như đang bốc cháy. Khi người cung thủ cánh tay rắn chắc bắt đầu tuôn ra “một cõi” nghìn mũi tên, Gāṇḍīva bừng lên rực lửa—báo hiệu bước vào hành động quyết định của vị chiến sĩ chính nghĩa.

Word by Word

• दीप्यमानम्: shining, blazing
• दीप्यमानम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीप् (धातु) → दीप्यमान (वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि/आत्मनेपदे कृदन्त)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• इव: as if, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• आकाशे: in the sky
• आकाशे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• गाण्डीवम्: Gāṇḍīva (Arjuna’s bow)
• गाण्डीवम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाण्डीव
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• समदृश्यत: was seen, appeared
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + सम् उपसर्ग
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Ātmanepada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Arjuna
• Gāṇḍīva (bow)
• ākāśa (sky)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical gravity of righteous action in war: when a dharmic warrior commits to necessary duty, his resolve manifests as clarity and power. The ‘blazing’ Gāṇḍīva symbolizes focused intent and the formidable energy that accompanies disciplined, duty-bound action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna begins releasing an overwhelming volley—‘thousands of arrows.’ In that moment, Arjuna’s bow Gāṇḍīva appears to blaze in the sky, highlighting the intensity of his assault and the turning force of his presence on the battlefield.