Shloka 436
नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च
Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault
दिवसप्रतिमा राजन् बभूव रणमूर्थनि । भरतभूषण नरेश! प्रदीपोंसे प्रकाशित हुई वह रात्रि युद्धके मुहानेपर दिनके समान हो गयी थी
divasapratimā rājan babhūva raṇamūrdhani | bharatabhūṣaṇa nareśa pradīpaiḥ prakāśitā sā rātriḥ yuddhamukhē dine samā babhūva |
Sañjaya sprach: O König, an der äußersten Front des Schlachtfeldes wurde jene Nacht—von Lampen erhellt—dem Tage gleich. O Herrscher, Zierde der Bhāratas, die Finsternis wich am Mund der Schlacht, als verlange der Krieg selbst ungebrochene Wachsamkeit und unerbittlichen Entschluss.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war can erase natural boundaries—day and night—through human determination and the machinery of conflict. Ethically, it hints at the relentless, consuming nature of battle, where vigilance and aggression continue even when ordinary life would rest.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield was so brightly lit by lamps/torches that the night appeared like daytime at the battle-front, indicating continued or imminent fighting under artificial illumination.