Shloka 31
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
वीरबाहुविसृष्टानां तोमराणां विशाम्पते । रूपमासीद् वियत्स्थानां सर्पाणामिव सर्पताम्
sañjaya uvāca |
vīrabāhuvisṛṣṭānāṃ tomarāṇāṃ viśāmpate |
rūpam āsīd viyatsthānāṃ sarpāṇām iva sarpatām, prajānātha |
Sañjaya sprach: O Herr der Menschen, jene Tomara-Wurfspeere, von den mächtigen Armen der Helden geschleudert, erschienen, wenn sie durch den offenen Himmel jagten, wie schnell gleitende Schlangen—ihr Flug selbst war schlangenhaft.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a moral-psychological insight rather than a direct injunction: in war, weapons animated by human intent can appear almost alive, intensifying fear and awe. It implicitly highlights the gravity of martial action and the need for disciplined courage and restraint amid terrifying spectacle.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: javelins thrown by powerful warriors fly through the sky and look like fast-moving serpents, emphasizing the speed, danger, and vivid terror of the combat.