• sajyam kartum anīśvarāḥ — unable to make it strung
  Sajyam (strung) + kartum (to do) + anīśvarāḥ (unable). The Sanskrit elegance: those who could not perform the act of stringing are called an-īśvara — without the power, without the lordship. Gauḍīya echo: only Īśvara (Kṛṣṇa) is fully an-an-īśvara — fully capable.
• vyasṛjan — they let go, abandoned
  Vi + √sṛj — to release, throw aside. The first failure: they put down the bow before trying. Spiritually, the soul that abandons sādhana before attempting it.
• samutkṛṣya — having drawn forcibly
  Sam (fully) + ut (up) + √kṛṣ (to drag). The second class of failures: they pulled but the bow's recoil knocked them down. The samutkṛṣya is intense effort — but effort alone, without the Lord's grace on the act, ends face-down.
• petuḥ — they fell
  Perfect of √pat — to fall. The word is also used for fallen souls (patita). The verse's vocabulary keeps slipping between archery and spiritual failure.
• hatāḥ — struck
  Past participle of √han — to strike. The bow that was supposed to be their instrument struck them down. Gauḍīya doctrine: sādhana attempted without bhakti can itself become the rod of correction.

• Where could my own public attempt at something reveal limits I would rather not know?
• Could I welcome that knowledge as part of growth?

The bow itself is the first sifter. Some cannot even string it and throw it down in shame; others string it but the recoil throws them to the ground. Before the fish is reached, the instrument has already weeded out the unfit. So in bhakti: many cannot pick up the sādhana, many pick it up but are thrown by the first kickback. The unbroken stance comes later.