वैशंपायन उवाच
अर्जुनस् तु परं यत्नम् आतस्थे गुरुपूजने ॥
अस्त्रे च परमं योगं प्रियो द्रोणस्य चाभवत् ॥
द्रोणेन तु तदाहूय रहस्य् उक्तो ऽन्नसाधकः ॥
अन्धकारे ऽर्जुनायान्नं न देयं ते कथं चन ॥
ततः कदा चिद् भुञ्जाने प्रववौ वायुर् अर्जुने ॥
तेन तत्र प्रदीपः स दीप्यमानो निवापितः ॥
भुङ्क्त एवार्जुनो भक्तं न चास्यास्याद् व्यमुह्यत ॥
हस्तस् तेजस्विनो नित्यम् अन्नग्रहणकारणात् ॥
तद् अभ्यासकृतं मत्वा रात्राव् अभ्यस्त पाण्डवः ॥
तस्य ज्यातलनिर्घोषं द्रोणः शुश्राव भारत ॥
उपेत्य चैनम् उत्थाय परिष्वज्येदम् अब्रवीत् ॥
प्रयतिष्ये तथा कर्तुं यथा नान्यो धनुर्धरः ॥
त्वत्समो भविता लोके सत्यम् एतद् ब्रवीमि ते ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
arjunas tu paraṃ yatnam ātasthe gurupūjane ||
astre ca paramaṃ yogaṃ priyo droṇasya cābhavat ||
droṇena tu tadāhūya rahasy ukto 'nnasādhakaḥ ||
andhakāre 'rjunāyānnaṃ na deyaṃ te kathaṃ cana ||
tataḥ kadā cid bhuñjāne pravavau vāyur arjune ||
tena tatra pradīpaḥ sa dīpyamāno nivāpitaḥ ||
bhuṅkta evārjuno bhaktaṃ na cāsyāsyād vyamuhyata ||
hastas tejasvino nityam annagrahaṇakāraṇāt ||
tad abhyāsakṛtaṃ matvā rātrāv abhyasta pāṇḍavaḥ ||
tasya jyātalanirghoṣaṃ droṇaḥ śuśrāva bhārata ||
upetya cainam utthāya pariṣvajyedam abravīt ||
prayatiṣye tathā kartuṃ yathā nānyo dhanurdharaḥ ||
tvatsamo bhavitā loke satyam etad bravīmi te ||
Vaishampayana said: "Arjuna applied the utmost effort to honoring his teacher and the utmost diligence in weaponry -- and became dear to Drona. Then Drona, secretly summoning the cook, said: 'Never give Arjuna food in the dark, under any circumstance.' One day, as Arjuna was eating, a wind blew and extinguished the burning lamp; but Arjuna went on eating, and his hand did not miss his mouth -- for the hand of the ardent youth, from constant habit, always found the way to take food. Taking this as the fruit of practice, the Pandava began to practice archery at night. Drona heard the twang of his bowstring, and, coming to him, raising him up and embracing him, said: 'I shall strive to make it so that there be no other archer in the world equal to you; this I tell you truly.'"
c4c8f1c37f04 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:53:32 PM UTC
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Here is revealed what will make Arjuna the greatest -- devotion to the teacher and tireless effort. His discovery is telling: noticing that his hand, by habit, finds his mouth even in darkness, he grasps that practice can achieve archery by sound alone -- and so he trains at night. Here one sees the fruit of diligence (abhyāsa) and concentration: mastery is born not of talent alone but of unceasing labor. Telling too is the guru's love: hearing his disciple's nightly effort, Drona vows to make him unsurpassed. Scripture reveals here the law of discipleship: a disciple's devotion and labor draw the full blessing of the teacher; whoever honors the guru and labors without rest, to him the guru gives everything. Thus scripture reveals the foundation of Arjuna's future greatness -- not talent alone, but devotion and diligence, sanctified by the teacher's love.