Shloka 86
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
उस समय धूल और अन्धकारसे सारे योद्धाओंके नेत्र आच्छादित हो गये थे। वे भयंकर मोहमें पड़ गये। उनके लिये एक-दूसरेको पहचानना भी असम्भव हो गया ।। ते शरैर्भिन्नमर्माण: सैनिका: पार्थचोदितै: । बभ्रमुश्नस्खलु: पेतु: सेदुर्मम्लुश्न भारत,भारत! अर्जुनके चलाये हुए बाणोंसे जिनके मर्मस्थल विदीर्ण हो गये थे, वे सैनिक चक्कर काटते, लड़खड़ाते, गिरते, व्यथित होते और प्राणशून्य होकर मलिन हो जाते थे
tadā dhūlīndhakāreṇa sarveṣāṃ yodhināṃ nayanāny āvṛtāni babhūvuḥ | te ghore mohe nipetire | teṣāṃ parasparaṃ pratyabhijñātum api aśakyaṃ babhūva || te śaraiḥ bhinnamarmāṇaḥ sainikāḥ pārthacoditaiḥ | babhramuś ca skhaluḥ petuḥ sedur mamluś ca bhārata ||
Then, as dust and darkness spread, the eyes of all the warriors were veiled. They fell into a dreadful delusion, and it became impossible for them even to recognize one another. And those soldiers—struck by the arrows loosed at Arjuna’s command—had their vital points torn; they reeled in confusion, stumbled, fell, writhed in pain, and, bereft of life, grew pale and foul, O Bhārata.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the fog of war—literal dust and darkness and the inner darkness of moha—destroys clarity and recognition, reducing ethical discernment and human individuality; it is a stark reminder of war’s dehumanizing momentum and the suffering it unleashes.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where dust and darkness obscure vision, warriors cannot identify friend or foe, and soldiers struck by Arjuna-directed arrows are grievously wounded at vital points, reeling, stumbling, falling, and dying.