संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
ततः धनंजयं द्रोणः स्मयमानः अभ्यभाषतtataḥ dhanaṃjayaṃ droṇaḥ smayamānaḥ abhyabhāṣatathen to Dhananjaya Drona, smiling, said:
त्वया इदानीं प्रहर्तव्यम् एतत् लक्ष्यं निशम्यताम्tvayā idānīṃ prahartavyam etat lakṣyaṃ niśamyatām"now you must strike [it]; look upon this target;
मद्वाक्यसमकालं ते मोक्तव्यः अत्र भवेत् शरःmadvākyasamakālaṃ te moktavyaḥ atra bhavet śaraḥat the moment of my word let an arrow be released by you here;
वितत्य कार्मुकं पुत्र तिष्ठ तावत् मुहूर्तकम्vitatya kārmukaṃ putra tiṣṭha tāvat muhūrtakamhaving drawn the bow, my son, stand thus for a moment"
एवम् उक्तः सव्यसाची मण्डलीकृतकार्मुकःevam uktaḥ savyasācī maṇḍalīkṛtakārmukaḥthus entreated, Savyasachin (Arjuna), bending the bow into a circle,
तस्थौ लक्ष्यं समुद्दिश्य गुरुवाक्यप्रचोदितःtasthau lakṣyaṃ samuddiśya guruvākyapracoditaḥstood, aiming at the target, urged on by the teacher's word;
मुहूर्तात् इव तं द्रोणः तथा एव समभाषतmuhūrtāt iva taṃ droṇaḥ tathā eva samabhāṣataafter a moment Drona said to him likewise:
पश्यसि एनं स्थितं भासं द्रुमं माम् अपि वा इति उतpaśyasi enaṃ sthitaṃ bhāsaṃ drumaṃ mām api vā iti uta"do you see this bird, the tree, and me too?"
पश्यामि एनं भासम् इति द्रोणं पार्थः अभ्यभाषतpaśyāmi enaṃ bhāsam iti droṇaṃ pārthaḥ abhyabhāṣata"I see [only] this bird" — Partha answered Drona,
न तु वृक्षं भवन्तं वा पश्यामि इति च भारतna tu vṛkṣaṃ bhavantaṃ vā paśyāmi iti ca bhārata"but I do not see the tree or you," O Bharata;
ततः प्रीतमनाः द्रोणः मुहूर्तात् इव तं पुनःtataḥ prītamanāḥ droṇaḥ muhūrtāt iva taṃ punaḥthen Drona, glad at heart, after a moment again
प्रत्यभाषत दुर्धर्षः पाण्डवानां रथर्षभम्pratyabhāṣata durdharṣaḥ pāṇḍavānāṃ ratharṣabhamsaid to that bull among the chariot-warriors of the Pandavas, the unassailable one:
भासं पश्यसि यदि एनं तथा ब्रूहि पुनः वचःbhāsaṃ paśyasi yadi enaṃ tathā brūhi punaḥ vacaḥ"if you see this bird, say once more your word"
शिरः पश्यामि भासस्य न गात्रम् इति सः अब्रवीत्śiraḥ paśyāmi bhāsasya na gātram iti saḥ abravīt"I see [only] the head of the bird, not the body" — he said;
अर्जुनेन एवम् उक्तः तु द्रोणः हृष्टतनूरुहःarjunena evam uktaḥ tu droṇaḥ hṛṣṭatanūruhaḥthus addressed by Arjuna, Drona, [whose] hair stood on end with delight,
मुञ्चस्व इति अब्रवीत् पार्थं सः मुमोच अविचारयन्muñcasva iti abravīt pārthaṃ saḥ mumoca avicārayan"release it!" — he said to Partha, and he released [the arrow] without hesitation;
ततः तस्य नगस्थस्य क्षुरेण निशितेन हtataḥ tasya nagasthasya kṣureṇa niśitena hathen of that [bird] perched on the tree, with a sharp arrow-blade
शिरः उत्कृत्य तरसा पातयाम् आस पाण्डवःśiraḥ utkṛtya tarasā pātayām āsa pāṇḍavaḥhaving cut off the head, the Pandava swiftly brought it down
ततोtatooriginal form "tato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्मयमानोsmayamānooriginal form "smayamāno", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽभ्यभाषत'bhyabhāṣataoriginal form "'bhyabhāṣata", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वयेदानींtvayedānīṃoriginal form "tvayedānīṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एतल्etaloriginal form "etal", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मोक्तव्योmoktavyooriginal form "moktavyo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽत्र'traoriginal form "'tra", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भवेच्bhavecoriginal form "bhavec", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
छरःcharaḥoriginal form "charaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तावन्tāvanoriginal form "tāvan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मुहूर्ताद्muhūrtādoriginal form "muhūrtād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
द्रोणस्droṇasoriginal form "droṇas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथैवtathaivaoriginal form "tathaiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पश्यस्य्paśyasyoriginal form "paśyasy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वेत्य्vetyoriginal form "vety", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पश्याम्य्paśyāmyoriginal form "paśyāmy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पार्थोpārthooriginal form "pārtho", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽभ्यभाषत'bhyabhāṣataoriginal form "'bhyabhāṣata", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पश्यामीतिpaśyāmītioriginal form "paśyāmīti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रीतमनाprītamanāoriginal form "prītamanā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
द्रोणोdroṇooriginal form "droṇo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मुहूर्ताद्muhūrtādoriginal form "muhūrtād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यद्य्yadyoriginal form "yady", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुनर्punaroriginal form "punar", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सोsooriginal form "so", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽब्रवीत्'bravītoriginal form "'bravīt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अर्जुनेनैवम्arjunenaivamoriginal form "arjunenaivam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
उक्तस्uktasoriginal form "uktas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
द्रोणोdroṇooriginal form "droṇo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मुञ्चस्वेत्य्muñcasvetyoriginal form "muñcasvety", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मुमोचाविचारयन्mumocāvicārayanoriginal form "mumocāvicārayan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततस्tatasoriginal form "tatas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शिरśiraoriginal form "śira", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Arjuna manifests the perfection of concentration — the most celebrated answer in the whole epic on the art of focus. It is telling that he sees "only the bird," then "only the head of the bird," neither tree nor teacher: his mind is gathered into a single point, without remainder. Here appears the highest image of ekagrata (one-pointedness of mind) demanded alike by yoga and by devotion: as Arjuna sees only the target, so the yogi must see only the Lord, and the devotee only His lotus feet, turned away from everything else. It is telling that only with such concentration does unerring success come: "release it!" — and the target is struck. The scripture lays bare here the law of the spiritual life: a scattered mind attains nothing, a gathered mind attains everything; and Arjuna, capable of such concentration, will for that very reason become the one to whom the Lord reveals the highest knowledge. Thus the scripture crowns the test with a lesson surpassing archery: only a one-pointed mind strikes the [highest] target.