Shloka 27
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
तेषां विदार्य चेतांसि शरा हेमविभूषिता: । व्यराजन्त महाराज सुपर्णा इव खेचरा:,महाराज! वे स्वर्णविभूषित बाण उन सातों भाइयोंके वक्ष:स्थलको विदीर्ण करके आकाश में विचरनेवाले गरुड़पक्षियोंके समान शोभा पाने लगे
teṣāṃ vidārya cetāṃsi śarā hemavibhūṣitāḥ | vyarājanta mahārāja suparṇā iva khecarāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, those arrows, adorned with gold, having torn through their hearts, shone brilliantly—like Suparṇas (Garuḍa-like birds) moving through the sky.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim splendor of battlefield prowess: martial excellence can appear dazzling, yet it is inseparable from the ethical weight of causing mortal harm—an implicit reminder that kṣatriya glory and violence coexist in tension.
Sañjaya describes arrows, decorated with gold, that have pierced the opponents’ vital centers (hearts) and then gleam in flight, compared to Garuḍa-like birds soaring through the sky.