Shloka 32
तौ बाहू स च मे मुष्टिः स्थानं तत् सो ऽस्मि चार्जुनः पुण्येनैव विना तेन गतं सर्वम् असारताम्
tau bāhū sa ca me muṣṭiḥ sthānaṃ tat so 'smi cārjunaḥ puṇyenaiva vinā tena gataṃ sarvam asāratām
Đây vẫn là đôi tay ấy, đây là nắm đấm siết chặt của ta; đây là chỗ ngồi quyền lực xưa, và ta chính là Arjuna. Nhưng thiếu phúc đức thuở trước, mọi sự đã trôi vào rỗng không, mất hết tinh túy.
Arjuna (a royal/heroic figure referenced in the dynastic narrative, speaking in lament)
Concept: Even with the same body and status, without prior merit (puṇya) everything becomes hollow and loses its efficacy.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate steady sādhana and ethical living rather than relying on past achievements; accept reversals as prompts for detachment and devotion.
Vishishtadvaita: Merit and capacity are upheld within Bhagavān’s moral order; the jīva’s powers are dependent and contingent, supporting śaraṇāgati.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
The verse declares that even unchanged strength and status become futile when the prior accumulation of merit (puṇya) is lost—highlighting that dharmic merit is the hidden support of worldly power.
By framing kingship as dependent on dharma and merit: when virtue diminishes (a common Kali Yuga theme in Ansha 4), the same person and resources yield only hollow results.
Within Vaishnava cosmology, Vishnu upholds cosmic order (dharma); the loss of merit reflects a falling away from that sustaining order, making worldly strength ‘asāra’ without alignment to the divine law Vishnu maintains.