गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात्त्वक्चैव परिदह्यते ।न च शक्नोम्यवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मनः ॥
gāṇḍīvaṃ sraṃsate hastāt tvak caiva paridahyate |na ca śaknomy avasthātuṃ bhramatīva ca me manaḥ ||
- गाण्डीवम् · gāṇḍīvam
- Gandiva (Arjuna's divine bow)
- स्रंसते · sraṃsate
- slips, falls
- हस्तात् · hastāt
- from the hand
- त्वक् · tvak
- skin
- च · ca
- and
- एव · eva
- indeed
- परिदह्यते · paridahyate
- burns all over
- न · na
- not
- च · ca
- and
- शक्नोमि · śaknomi
- I am able
- अवस्थातुम् · avasthātum
- to stand firm, remain steady
- भ्रमति · bhramati
- wanders, reels
- इव · iva
- as if
- च · ca
- and
- मे · me
- my
- मनः · manaḥ
- mind
“Gandiva slips from my hand, my skin burns all over. I cannot stand steady, and my mind reels as if bewildered.”
— Original plain-language translation
The bow slipping is the chapter's central image: the warrior disarmed not by any foe but by love. Gandiva, the weapon that made Arjuna invincible, becomes dead weight the moment its targets have faces.
— Reader's notes (original)