This shloka continues the physical expression of Arjuna’s sorrow.

In the previous shloka, Arjuna said that his limbs were weakening, his mouth was drying up, his body was trembling, and his hairs were standing on end. Now the symptoms become even more serious. His grip fails, his skin burns, he cannot stand, and his mind reels.

The first phrase is gāṇḍīvaṁ sraṁsate hastāt — “Gāṇḍīva slips from my hand.” Gāṇḍīva is not an ordinary bow. It is Arjuna’s great bow, the symbol of his warrior-strength, skill, and kṣatriya-dharma. A warrior like Arjuna does not casually lose grip of his bow. If Gāṇḍīva is slipping, it means the inner disturbance has become extremely intense.

This is not physical tiredness from battle. The battle has not yet begun. No enemy has struck him. His hand is becoming weak because his mind is overwhelmed. The sorrow born of attachment is now weakening the very instrument of his duty.

The next phrase is tvak ca eva paridahyate — “my skin is burning.” This is another bodily symptom of intense mental suffering. The heat is not from fire outside. It is the burning of emotional agitation inside, felt through the skin.

Then Arjuna says na ca śaknomi avasthātum — “I am not able even to stand.” This is a major collapse for a warrior standing in his chariot before battle. Standing represents readiness. Arjuna had come prepared to fight a dharma-yuddha. Now he cannot even remain steady.

Finally he says bhramati iva ca me manaḥ — “my mind seems to reel.” The word iva means “as though.” His mind is not functioning in a clear, straight, steady way. It is whirling, confused, and unstable. The physical symptoms and mental instability go together.

This shloka therefore shows the intensification of śokaḥ. Rāgaḥ, attachment to svajana, has produced sorrow. That sorrow has now become so strong that it has affected Arjuna’s hands, skin, posture, and mind.

A key point is that sorrow does not always remain hidden. When mild, a person may cover it up. One may smile, speak normally, and pretend that everything is fine. But when emotion becomes intense, it overflows into the body. Arjuna’s body is now announcing what his mind is suffering.

This is the continuing picture of saṁsāra in Chapter 1: first rāgaḥ, then śokaḥ, and soon mohaḥ. Here, the sorrow-stage is being shown dramatically. The great Arjuna is not defeated by another warrior. He is being shaken by the sorrow produced by his own attachment.