Shloka 30
भीष्मस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति उपालम्भः
Bhīṣma’s Reproof to Duryodhana
एवमुकक््त्वा तु हैडिम्बो महद् विस्फार्य कार्मुकम्
evam uktvā tu haiḍimbo mahad visphārya kārmukam, duryodhanam prati bāṇānāṃ mahāṃ vṛṣṭim avāsṛjat; yathā varṣā-ṛtau meghaḥ parvata-śikhare jaladhārāḥ pātayati.
Sañjaya said: Having spoken thus, the son of Hiḍimbā drew back his great bow to its full stretch and unleashed a tremendous shower of arrows upon Duryodhana—like a rain-cloud in the monsoon season pouring streams of water upon a mountain peak. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where prowess and resolve manifest as overwhelming force, and where the consequences of ambition and enmity are borne in the harsh economy of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, intent and capability translate into decisive action; it also implicitly warns that hostility and ambition invite powerful counterforce. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that choices made in adharma-driven rivalry culminate in unavoidable, escalating violence.
Sañjaya describes Ghaṭotkaca (the son of Hiḍimbā) drawing his great bow and releasing a massive volley of arrows at Duryodhana, compared to monsoon clouds pouring water on a mountain summit.