Shloka 21
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
पुत्रास्तु तव कौन्तेयं छादयाज्चक्रिरे शरै: । प्रावषीव महाराज जलदा इव पर्वतम्,परंतु महाराज! आपके पुत्रोंने कुन्तीनन्द्र भीमको अपने बाणोंसे उसी प्रकार आच्छादित कर दिया, जैसे वर्षा-ऋतुमें बादल पर्वतको जलकी धाराओंसे ढक लेते हैं
putrās tu tava kaunteyaṃ chādayāṃś cakrire śaraiḥ | prāvṛṣi iva mahārāja jaladā iva parvatam ||
Sanjaya said: O great king, your sons covered Bhīma, the son of Kuntī, with a shower of arrows—just as, in the rainy season, clouds veil a mountain with streaming sheets of water. The image underscores the intensity of the assault and the collective resolve of the Kauravas to overwhelm a single formidable opponent on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how force can be multiplied through coordinated action, yet it also implicitly points to the battlefield ethic of testing a hero’s resilience: Bhīma is portrayed as a mountain-like figure, enduring a storm of weapons without being easily shaken.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava princes collectively unleash a dense volley of arrows at Bhīma, so thick that he is visually ‘covered,’ compared to a mountain hidden by monsoon clouds and rain.