Shloka 656
वसुदेव–अर्जुन संवादः
Vasudeva–Arjuna Dialogue in the Aftermath of Dvārakā
बभूव विमना: पार्थों दैवमित्यनुचिन्तयन् । अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका ज्ञान लुप्त हो गया। भुजाओंका बल भी घट गया। धनुष भी काबूके बाहर हो गया और अक्षयबाणोंका भी क्षय हो गया। इन सब बातोंसे अर्जुनका मन उदास हो गया। वे इन सब घटनाओंको दैवका विधान मानने लगे
babhūva vimanāḥ pārtho daivam ity anucintayan |
毗舍波耶那说：普利塔之子阿周那心生沮丧，思忖道：“这是命运。”他对兵器与神射之术的精熟仿佛尽失；臂力也随之衰减；连他的弓也不再听使唤；昔日取之不竭的箭矢亦告耗尽。见此种种逆转，阿周那心沉如坠，遂开始将这一切视为天命之裁定。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest human skill and strength are not absolute; when the time (kāla) and fate (daiva) turn, prowess fails. The passage ethically reframes agency: a kṣatriya who once relied on mastery must now recognize impermanence and submit to the larger moral-cosmic order that closes an era.
After the Yādavas’ destruction, Arjuna experiences a sudden decline: his knowledge of weapons seems lost, his arms weaken, his bow becomes unmanageable, and his famed inexhaustible arrows run out. He becomes sorrowful and interprets these signs as the working of fate.