Shloka 96
Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)
उल्काशतै: सम्प्रदीप्त॑ विमानमिव भूतले । विचित्र पंखवाले पैने बाणोंद्वारा सब ओरसे व्याप्त हुआ अर्जुनका रथ भूतलपर सैकड़ों मसालोंसे प्रकाशित होनेवाले विमानके समान शोभा पाता था
sañjaya uvāca | ulkāśataiḥ sampradīptaṃ vimānam iva bhūtale | vicitra-pakṣa-vālaiḥ tīkṣṇaiḥ bāṇaiḥ sarvataḥ vyāptaṃ arjunasya rathaḥ bhūtale śobhate, śataśaḥ ulkābhiḥ prakāśitaṃ vimānam iva |
Sañjaya sprach: Auf dem Schlachtfeld glänzte Arjunas Wagen—von allen Seiten bedeckt mit scharfen Pfeilen mit bunt schimmernden Federn—wie ein himmlischer Wagen, der von Hunderten von Meteoren oder Fackeln in Flammen gesetzt ist.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness under assault: in righteous warfare, discipline and courage can transform even a perilous situation—being surrounded by arrows—into a display of unwavering resolve. It also reflects the epic’s ethical tension: war is horrific, yet the kshatriya ideal prizes composure and duty amid danger.
Sanjaya narrates the battle scene to Dhritarashtra, describing how Arjuna’s chariot on the ground is completely surrounded by sharp, multi-feathered arrows, yet appears radiant—likened to a blazing celestial vehicle illuminated by hundreds of fiery meteors or torches.