Shloka 64
नानाविधान्यनीकानि पुत्राणां ते जनाधिप । अर्जुनो व्यधमत् काले दिवीवाभ्राणि मारुत:
nānāvidhāny anīkāni putrāṇāṁ te janādhipa | arjuno vyadhamat kāle divīvābhrāṇi mārutaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O king, at that moment Arjuna shattered the many-formed battle-formations of your sons—just as the wind tears apart clouds spread across the sky. The image underscores the overwhelming force of Arjuna’s prowess in war, where disciplined arrays and inherited power collapse when confronted by superior skill and resolve on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of even vast, well-arranged power when confronted by superior capability and momentum. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s war context: martial excellence (kṣatriya-dharma) can decisively overturn inherited advantage, and worldly formations—like clouds—are impermanent before stronger forces.
Sañjaya reports to the king that Arjuna, in the thick of battle, breaks apart the diverse military formations of the king’s sons. The comparison to wind shredding clouds conveys speed, inevitability, and the dispersal of organized ranks under Arjuna’s assault.