Shloka 231
तैश्वातिवेगात् स तथाविधो5पि नीत: शमं वल्लिरतिप्रचण्ड: । बलाहकैरेव दिगन्तराणि व्याप्तानि सर्वाणि यथा नभशक्ष
taiś cātivegāt sa tathāvidho ’pi nītaḥ śamaṁ vallir atipracandaḥ | balāhakair eva digantarāṇi vyāptāni sarvāṇi yathā nabhaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Von ihrer überwältigenden Wucht getrieben, wurde selbst er—so furchtbar er auch war—zum Stillstand gebracht, wie eine wild wütende Ranke, die plötzlich beruhigt wird. Es war, als hätten Sturmwolken die Himmelsgegenden vollständig bedeckt, sodass keine Richtung unbesetzt blieb.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that even great strength can be checked when confronted by overwhelming collective force; in ethical terms, it points to the instability of pride and the need for restraint amid the surging momentum of conflict.
Sañjaya describes a powerful warrior being forced into stillness by the intense onrush of opponents, using vivid similes: a fierce creeper calmed, and the sky’s directions covered everywhere by storm-clouds.