Shloka 26
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
ते क्षिप्ता भीमसेनेन शरा भारत भारतान् | विदार्य खं समुत्पेतु: स्वर्णपुड्खा: शिलाशिता:,भारत! भीमसेनके चलाये हुए वे बाण सुवर्णमय पंखोंसे सुशोभित तथा शिलापर तेज किये गये थे। वे आपके पुत्रोंको विदीर्ण करके आकाशमें उड़ चले
te kṣiptā bhīmasenena śarā bhārata bhāratān | vidārya khaṃ samutpetuḥ svarṇapuḍkhāḥ śilāśitāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, the arrows loosed by Bhīmasena—gold-feathered and honed upon stone—pierced through your sons and then rose up into the sky. The scene underscores the grim momentum of battle, where martial skill and wrath translate into irreversible harm, reminding the listener that adharma-driven conflict consumes even one’s own lineage.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh consequence of war: once violence is unleashed, it tears through one’s own kin as well. It implicitly warns that adharma-fueled conflict leads to irreversible loss, even when framed as kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya describes Bhīmasena shooting expertly crafted arrows—gold-fletched and stone-honed—which pierce the Kaurava warriors (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons) and then continue upward into the sky.