Shloka 51
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
पुनश्चैनं शरैघोरिश्छादयामास भारत । निदाघान्ते महाराज यथा मेघो दिवाकरम्
sañjaya uvāca |
punaścainaṃ śaraiḥ ghoraḥ chādayāmāsa bhārata |
nidāghānte mahārāja yathā megho divākaram ||
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, once again that fierce warrior covered him with dreadful arrows—just as, at the end of the hot season, a cloud veils the sun, O King. The image shows how, in war, overwhelming force can momentarily eclipse even a valiant fighter’s presence, testing steadiness and resolve amid chaos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights endurance under overwhelming pressure: in righteous warfare (kṣatriya-dharma), a warrior may be ‘eclipsed’ by adversity, yet the ethical demand is steadiness and continued resolve rather than collapse or panic.
Sañjaya reports that a fierce fighter again showers Sātyaki with terrible arrows, enveloping him—likened to a cloud covering the sun at the end of summer—signaling an intense phase of the battle where one combatant temporarily dominates.