Shloka 22
Arjuna–Bhīṣma Strategic Engagement and Mutual Arrow-Interdiction (भीष्मार्जुनसमागमः)
नोपशाम्यति निर्घोषो धनुषां कूजतां तथा । विनिश्चेरु: शरा दीप्ता ज्योततीषीव नभस्तलात्
nopashāmyati nirghoṣo dhanuṣāṃ kūjatāṃ tathā | viniśceruḥ śarā dīptā jyotitīṣīva nabhastalāt |
قال سَنْجَيا: لم يهدأ قطُّ دويُّ الأقواس وهي تطنّ بأوتارها. ومن فسحة السماء كانت السهامُ المتّقدة تندفع، كأنها نجومٌ تلمع فجأةً—صورةٌ لزخم الحرب الذي لا يلين، وللروعة المهيبة المخيفة لقوة السلاح.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not preach a doctrine directly; it heightens awareness of war’s unstoppable force—how martial action, once unleashed, becomes a continuous roar. Ethically, it frames the battlefield as a realm where kṣatriya power and duty manifest with awe-inspiring brilliance, while also hinting at the grave, relentless nature of violence.
Sañjaya describes the battle’s intensity: bows keep twanging without pause, and radiant arrows stream forth in such numbers that they resemble stars appearing across the sky.