Shloka 40
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
ततो रथवरान् राजन्नत्यतिक्रामदर्जुन:,राजन! तत्पश्चात् अर्जुन बड़े-बड़े रथियोंको लाँचकर आगे बढ़ गये। उस समय आकाशमें तपते हुए दोपहरके सूर्यके समान पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनकी ओर सम्पूर्ण प्राणी देख नहीं पाते थे
tato rathavarān rājann atitikrāmad arjunaḥ | rājann tatpaścāt arjunaḥ baḍe-baḍe rathiyoṃ ko lāṅghakara āge baḍh gaye | us samaya ākāśe tapte hue dopahar ke sūrya ke samān pāṇḍuputra arjuna kī ora sampūrṇa prāṇī dekh nahīṃ pāte the |
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Arjuna surged forward, outstripping the foremost chariot-warriors. After leaping past those great fighters, he pressed on ahead. At that time, blazing in the sky like the scorching midday sun, the son of Pāṇḍu was so radiant that living beings could scarcely look toward him—an image of overwhelming martial energy that momentarily eclipses ordinary perception amid the moral storm of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tejas (overwhelming heroic radiance) as a sign of focused resolve in dharmic combat: when a warrior is fully committed to his duty, his presence can become symbolically ‘unbearable to behold,’ suggesting moral intensity and concentrated power rather than mere physical strength.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna accelerates through the battlefield, surpassing even the best chariot-fighters. His advance is depicted with a solar simile—like the blazing midday sun—so that creatures cannot easily look toward him, emphasizing the momentum and dominance of his charge.