Shloka 2
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
विकिरञ्शरवर्षाणि वारिधारा इवाम्बुद: | न शेकुः समरे क्रुद्धं सौभद्रमरिसूदनम्
sañjaya uvāca |
vikirāñ śaravarṣāṇi vāridhārā ivāmbudaḥ |
na śekuḥ samare kruddhaṃ saubhadram arisūdanam ||
Sañjaya said: “Scattering showers of arrows like a cloud pouring down streams of rain, the wrathful son of Subhadrā—slayer of foes—advanced in the battle. Your warriors, O descendant of Kuru, were unable to check him in combat.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma expressed as fearless engagement in battle and the moral weight of courage and resolve; it also underscores how collective force can falter before disciplined prowess, suggesting that mere numbers without steadiness and skill fail to uphold one’s cause.
Sañjaya describes Abhimanyu, furious and formidable, releasing a rain-like barrage of arrows. Despite their presence on the field, the Kaurava troops cannot restrain or stop his advance in the fight.