Shloka 40
शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः
Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel
तत्र राजन शरैमुक्तिनिर्मुक्तिरिव पन्नगै: । स्वर्णपुड्खै: प्रकाशद्/िर्व्यरोचन्त दिशस्तदा,राजन! केंचुल छोड़कर निकले हुए सर्पोंके समान वहाँ छूटे हुए सुवर्णमय पंखवाले चमकीले बाणोंसे उस समय सम्पूर्ण दिशाएँ प्रकाशित हो उठी थीं
tatra rājan śaraiḥ muktinir-muktir iva pannagaiḥ | svarṇapuḍkhaiḥ prakāśadbhir vyarocanta diśas tadā ||
Sañjaya sprach: O König, dort loderten zu jener Zeit die Himmelsrichtungen im Glanz schimmernder Pfeile, deren goldene Befiederung aufblitzte—wie Schlangen, die frei geworden sind, nachdem sie ihre Haut abgestreift haben. Das Bild zeigt, wie die Gewalt der Schlacht jede Richtung mit gleißender, unerbittlicher Bewegung erfüllte und den Raum der Welt selbst zu einem Schauplatz von Furcht und Ehrfurcht machte.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive, but its ethical resonance lies in showing how war overwhelms the natural order: even the ‘directions’ are made to blaze by weapons. The simile of snakes shedding skin underscores relentless, repeated discharge—suggesting the dehumanizing momentum of battle and the peril of letting violence become self-propelling.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the battlefield is filled with volleys of radiant arrows. Their golden-fletched shafts flash in every direction, making the quarters seem illuminated, like snakes emerging after casting off their skins.