Shloka 206
Adhyāya 107 — बहुयुद्धप्रकरणम्
Multiple Defensive Engagements to Protect Bhīṣma
यथा दिवि महाघोरौ राजन् बुधशनैश्वरौ | उसने तीन बाणोंसे समरांगणमें चित्रसेनको अत्यन्त घायल कर दिया। राजन! जैसे आकाशमें दो महाघोर ग्रह बुध और शनैश्वर सुशोभित होते हैं, उसी प्रकार दो महान् वीर चित्रसेन और अभिमन्यु रण-भूमिमें शोभा पा रहे थे
yathā divi mahāghorau rājan budhaśanaiśvarau | usne trīṇ bāṇoṃ se samarāṅgaṇ meṃ citrasena ko atyanta ghāyal kar diyā | rājan! jaise ākāś meṃ do mahāghor graha budha aur śanaiśvara suśobhita hote haiṃ, usī prakār do mahān vīr citrasena aur abhimanyu raṇa-bhūmi meṃ śobhā pā rahe the |
Sañjaya said: O King, with three arrows he grievously wounded Citrasena on the battlefield. And, O King, just as in the sky the two formidable planets—Mercury and Saturn—stand out in their dread splendor, so too did the two great warriors, Citrasena and Abhimanyu, shine upon the field of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata insight: in war, brilliance and terror coexist. Martial excellence can ‘shine’ like powerful celestial bodies, yet that radiance is inseparable from harm. The ethical undertone is to recognize the awe of valor without forgetting the suffering it produces—an invitation to discern dharma amid violence.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Citrasena is severely wounded by three arrows in the battle. He then uses a cosmic simile—Mercury and Saturn appearing formidable in the sky—to describe how Citrasena and Abhimanyu stand out prominently on the battlefield.