Shloka 44
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
सहदेवस्तु समरे मातुल॑ दृश्य संगतम् । अवारयच्छरौचेण मेघो यद्धद् दिवाकरम्
sahadevas tu samare mātulaṁ dṛṣṭvā saṅgatam | avārayac charaughena megho yathā divākaram ||
Sañjaya sprach: Mitten im Getümmel der Schlacht sah Sahadeva seinen Onkel mütterlicherseits im Kampf und hielt seinen Vormarsch auf, indem er ihn mit einem Strom von Pfeilen bedeckte—wie eine Wolke die Sonne verhüllt.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its hardest form: personal bonds do not erase battlefield duty. Sahadeva’s action is not personal hatred but disciplined restraint of an opponent, showing controlled force within the rules and necessities of war.
Sañjaya describes Sahadeva noticing his maternal uncle actively engaged in the battle. Sahadeva advances and halts him by enveloping him in a dense volley of arrows, compared to a cloud obscuring the sun.