Shloka 366
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
एको दीर्घ इवात्यर्थमाकाशे संस्थित: शर: । सूतपुत्रके धनुषसे गिरते हुए बाण ऐसी शोभा पा रहे थे, मानो एक ही अत्यन्त विशाल- सा बाण आकाशमें खड़ा हो
eko dīrgha ivātyartham ākāśe saṃsthitaḥ śaraḥ |
Sañjaya said: A single arrow seemed to stand fixed in the sky—so long and so striking did it appear. In the thick of battle, the shafts released from the bow of the charioteer’s son (Karna) fell with such splendor and force that they looked as though one immense arrow had been set upright in the heavens.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily heightens the moral and emotional weight of war by portraying how extraordinary martial power can dominate the battlefield. It implicitly warns that prowess, when harnessed to violence, magnifies destruction—raising questions of dharma: skill and duty must be guided by righteous purpose, not merely by capability.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield spectacle: Karṇa’s arrows, shot in rapid succession and with great brilliance, appear visually like a single gigantic arrow standing in the sky. The image conveys the density of missiles and the overwhelming pressure exerted by Karṇa’s archery in that moment of the Drona Parva conflict.