The dropping of Gandiva — the bow that defines Arjuna's identity as the world's greatest archer — is the symbolic death of his warrior self. The Advaita tradition reads this as the necessary dissolution of ego-identity before the true Self can be recognized. When every role and title we hold drops from our grasp like Gandiva, we are left face to face with what we actually are beyond all identifications. Ramanujacharya sees the burning skin and trembling as the body's honest revolt against a soul torn between conflicting duties — genuine suffering that merits divine compassion, not dismissal. Madhvacharya notes that even the most powerful instrument is useless when the wielder's conviction is shattered — tools serve purpose, and without purpose they fall idle. The Bhakti tradition reads the falling bow as the moment when the devotee's self-reliance finally fails completely, clearing space for total dependence on the Lord. Abhinavagupta sees romaharsha (hair standing on end) as a sign of the body experiencing something beyond its capacity to process — an encounter with the numinous that the ego experiences as terror rather than wonder. Vallabhacharya reads each symptom as a layer of worldly identity being stripped away by grace, painful but ultimately liberating. Tilak sees a warrior losing his weapon as the gravest practical emergency. Vivekananda would note that the same body that trembles now will stand firm once knowledge replaces fear.