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 |
সঞ্জয় বললেন—টংকাররত ধনুকের সেই গর্জন এক মুহূর্তও থামছিল না। আকাশমণ্ডল থেকে দীপ্ত বাণ ছুটে বেরোচ্ছিল, যেন নক্ষত্ররাজি ঝলকে উঠছে।
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.