Shloka 19
भीमसेन-धृष्टद्युम्नयोर्वाक्यं
Bhīmasena and Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s Speeches on Kṣātra-Dharma
शरवृष्टिं तु तां प्राप्तां शरैराशीविषोपमै:
śaravṛṣṭiṃ tu tāṃ prāptāṃ śarair āśīviṣopamaiḥ
Sañjaya said: “Then that shower of arrows arrived—arrows likened to venomous serpents—falling with deadly force upon the battlefield.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying, indiscriminate power of warfare: weapons, once unleashed, resemble venomous forces that spread fear and death. It implicitly cautions that violence escalates beyond control, challenging rulers and warriors to weigh dharma and responsibility before embracing battle.
Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle when a fierce barrage—an ‘arrow-rain’—descends. The arrows are compared to poisonous snakes to convey their lethal speed, pain, and inevitability, heightening the scene’s intensity.