Shloka 63
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
प्रकाशौ च पुनस्तूर्ण बभूवतुरुभी रणे । दोनों ही संग्रामभूमिमें एक-दूसरेके बाणसमूहोंसे आच्छादित होकर अदृश्य हो जाते और उन्हें छिन्न-भिन्न करके शीघ्र ही प्रकाशमें आ जाते थे ।।
prakāśau ca punas tūrṇaṃ babhūvatur ubhī raṇe |
Sañjaya said: Again, both warriors quickly came into clear view on the battlefield. Though they were repeatedly hidden as the field was covered by each other’s dense volleys of arrows, they would cut through that covering and reappear—showing relentless skill and resolve amid the chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadiness and capability under pressure: even when obscured by overwhelming forces (here, arrow-volleys), a disciplined warrior regains clarity through skill and resolve. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that action in conflict demands alertness, endurance, and mastery rather than panic.
Sañjaya describes a fierce exchange in which two combatants are alternately concealed by each other’s arrows and then quickly reappear after breaking through the barrage, indicating the intensity and technical prowess of the duel.