Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 18
Adhyāya 55: Pārtha–Rādheya Saṃvāda and Tactical Exchange
Chapter 55
शयव्रातै: सुतीक्ष्णाग्रै: समादिष्टै: खगैरिव । अर्जुनस्तु खमावत्रे लोहितप्राशनै: खगै:
śayavrātaiḥ sutīkṣṇāgraiḥ samādiṣṭaiḥ khagair iva | arjunas tu kham āvṛtya lohitaprāśanaiḥ khagaiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Mit Salven von Pfeilen—an den Spitzen messerscharf und in geordneter Folge abgeschossen—bedeckte Arjuna den Himmel, als wäre er von Vögeln erfüllt; jene Pfeile, gleich himmelsfahrenden, bluttrinkenden Geschöpfen, verdunkelten die ganze Weite über ihnen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined, well-aimed strength: power guided by control and purpose. In a dharmic frame, martial excellence is not mere aggression but a regulated capacity to restrain and overcome threats through skill and order.
Arjuna releases dense, sharply pointed volleys of arrows that fill and ‘cover’ the sky. The poet compares the arrows to sky-flying birds, even ‘blood-drinking’ ones, emphasizing the intensity and lethal effectiveness of his archery in battle.