Shloka 18
द्रोणस्य सुपर्णव्यूहः — युधिष्ठिरप्रत्यव्यूहः
Droṇa’s Suparṇa Formation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Counter-array
न ध्वजो नार्जुनस्तत्र न रथो न च केशव: । प्रत्यदृश्यत घोरेण शरवर्षेण संवृत:,उस भयंकर बाण-वर्षासे ढक जानेके कारण वहाँ न ध्वज दिखायी देता था, न रथ; न अर्जुन दृष्टिगोचर हो रहे थे, न भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण
sañjaya uvāca | na dhvajo nārjunas tatra na ratho na ca keśavaḥ | pratyadṛśyata ghoreṇa śaravarṣeṇa saṃvṛtaḥ |
Sañjaya sprach: Dort war weder das Banner noch Arjuna zu sehen—weder der Wagen noch Keśava. Von einem schrecklichen Pfeilhagel bedeckt, verschwanden sie aus dem Blick, als wären die Zeichen gerechter Entschlossenheit und göttlicher Führung vom Gewaltsturm des Krieges verhüllt worden.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most recognizable supports of dharma—heroic agency (Arjuna) and divine guidance (Keśava)—can be temporarily obscured by the chaos of violence; ethical judgment in war must account for uncertainty, limited visibility, and the deceptive fog created by overwhelming force.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a fierce barrage of arrows has so completely covered the scene that Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa, their chariot, and even the chariot-banner cannot be seen on the battlefield.