Shloka 453
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
शरजालावृते व्योम्नि न प्राज्ञायत किंचन । उस समय न तो सूर्यका पता चलता था और न वायु ही चल पाती थी। बाणोंके समूहसे आच्छादित हुए आकाशगमें कुछ भी जान नहीं पड़ता था
śarajālāvṛte vyomni na prājñāyata kiñcana |
Sañjaya said: When the sky was veiled by a net of arrows, nothing could be made out at all. In that moment, the sun could not be discerned, and even the wind seemed unable to move—such was the overwhelming storm of missiles that blotted out the heavens.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how unchecked violence can eclipse clarity and order: when warfare reaches an extreme, even the natural signs that guide perception (sun, wind, visibility) seem to vanish. Ethically, it functions as a warning about the dehumanizing, disorienting force of relentless conflict.
Sañjaya describes an intense phase of battle in which volleys of arrows fill the air so densely that the sky appears covered like a net, making it impossible to see clearly; the scene is portrayed as so overwhelming that the sun is not visible and the wind seems stilled.