Shloka 44
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
न पाण्डवानां नास्माकं तत्र किज्चिद् व्यदृश्यत | बाणान्धकारे महति कृते तत्र महाहवे,उस महायुद्धमें बाणोंद्वारा महान् अन्धकार छा गया, जिससे वहाँ हमारी और पाण्डवोंकी कोई भी वस्तु दिखायी नहीं देती थी
na pāṇḍavānāṃ nāsmākaṃ tatra kiñcid vyadṛśyata | bāṇāndhakāre mahati kṛte tatra mahāhave ||
Sañjaya sprach: In jener großen Schlacht, als durch den Pfeilhagel eine gewaltige Finsternis entstand, war dort nichts mehr zu erkennen—weder die Heere der Pāṇḍavas noch die unseren.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extreme violence in war can overwhelm clarity and judgment: the ‘darkness’ made by arrows symbolizes not only physical obscurity but also the moral and practical confusion that arises when conflict becomes all-consuming.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the arrow-storm became so dense it produced a great darkness on the battlefield, making it impossible to distinguish either side—neither the Pāṇḍavas’ forces nor the Kauravas’ were visible.