Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 383
Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)
ज्वलनाशीविषनिभै: शरैश्नैनमवाकिरत् । सब प्रकारके भारोंको सहन करनेमें समर्थ, सुदृढ़ एवं उत्तम धनुषको खींचकर सुरथने अग्नि और विषैले सर्पोके समान भयंकर बाणोंकी वर्षा करके अश्वत्थामाको ढक दिया
sañjaya uvāca | jvalanāśīviṣanibhaiḥ śaraiś cainam avākirat |
Sañjaya said: With arrows resembling blazing fire and venomous serpents, he showered (covered) him on all sides. Drawing his firm and excellent bow—capable of bearing every strain—Suratha rained down dreadful shafts like fire and poison-snakes, enveloping Aśvatthāmā in a storm of missiles. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where prowess and endurance are turned toward destruction, and ethical restraint is eclipsed by the demands of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial excellence—strength, endurance, and skill with the bow—can become an instrument of overwhelming harm when war dominates. It implicitly invites reflection on dharma under pressure: even rightful prowess, when driven by battlefield necessity, tends to eclipse restraint and compassion.
Sañjaya describes Suratha drawing his powerful bow and unleashing a dense shower of terrifying arrows, compared to fire and venomous serpents, so that Aśvatthāmā is effectively covered and hemmed in by the missile-storm.
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