Shloka 343
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
गभस्तिभिरिवादित्यस्तस्थौ शरमरीचिमान् | जैसे सर्दीके अन्तमें सूर्यदेव धरतीका जल सोखने लगते हैं, उसी प्रकार भीष्म समस्त सैनिकोंके प्राणोंका अपहरण-सा कर रहे थे। किरणोंसे सुशोभित सूर्यदेवकी भाँति भीष्म बाणरूपी रश्मियोंसे शोभा पाते हुए वहाँ खड़े थे
gabhastibhir ivādityas tasthau śaramarīcimān |
Sañjaya said: Bhīṣma stood there like the Sun, radiant with beams—his arrows like sunrays. As the winter sun seems to draw up the earth’s moisture, so Bhīṣma appeared to be drawing away the very life-breath of the warriors, overwhelming the battlefield with irresistible brilliance and lethal force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial power, when aligned with a warrior’s duty, can appear as an impersonal natural force—like the sun—reminding the listener that in war, life and death can be swept along by a larger order (dharma, fate, and the momentum of battle), not merely personal hatred.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma is standing firm on the battlefield, shining with volleys of arrows. His presence is compared to the sun whose rays dominate the sky, suggesting that Bhīṣma is cutting down warriors and draining their strength as if taking away their very lives.