Shloka 206
भीमसेनस्य गदायुद्ध-प्रभावः
The Battlefield Impact of Bhīmasena’s Mace Combat
प्रणेदु: सर्वभूतानि बभूवुस्तिमिरा दिश: । इधर सहस्रों हाथी और सैकड़ों भूमिपाल अर्जुनके बाणोंके पथमें आकर किसी प्रकार आगे न बढ़ सके। समस्त प्राणी आर्तनाद करने लगे और सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें अन्धकार छा गया
praṇeduḥ sarvabhūtāni babhūvus timirā diśaḥ |
Sanjaya said: All creatures cried out in distress, and darkness seemed to spread across every direction. In the press of battle, even thousands of elephants and hundreds of kings, coming into the path of Arjuna’s arrows, could not advance further—his missile-storm halted their momentum.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the pervasive suffering caused by warfare: when martial power is unleashed, its effects spread beyond combatants to ‘all beings,’ producing fear, confusion, and a moral atmosphere likened to darkness.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna’s arrows create such devastation that masses of elephants and many kings cannot advance; the battlefield fills with cries of distress and the directions appear darkened—an image of chaos and overwhelming force.