Shloka 53
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
तापयामास च ट्रौणिं शैनेय: परवीरहा । विमुक्तो मेघजालेन यथैव तपनस्तथा,फिर शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले युयुधानने मेघोंकी घटासे मुक्त हुए सूर्यकी भाँति द्रोणपुत्रको संताप देना आरम्भ किया
tāpayāmāsa ca trauṇiṃ śaineyaḥ paravīrahā | vimukto meghajālena yathaiva tapanas tathā ||
Sañjaya said: And Śaineya (Yuyudhāna), the slayer of enemy-heroes, began to scorch Droṇa’s son. Freed from the cloud-like net of weapons, he blazed against him just as the sun, released from a mass of clouds, burns with renewed force. The verse shows prowess intensifying once obstructing defenses are broken, under the moral pressure of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a sun-and-cloud metaphor to show that when obstructing defenses are removed, a warrior’s force can manifest with greater intensity. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: martial excellence is admired, yet it operates within the harsh, escalating logic of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma), where overcoming screens and countermeasures leads to renewed, often devastating, pressure on the opponent.
Sañjaya narrates that Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki), called Śaineya, turns fiercely upon Aśvatthāman (Trauṇi), son of Droṇa, and begins to ‘scorch’ him in combat. The comparison is to the sun emerging from a thick cover of clouds and then burning brightly—suggesting that after breaking through a dense barrage or concealment, Sātyaki’s attack becomes especially overpowering.