Shloka 726
शूलप्रासासिमुसलजलप्रस्रवणो महान् | वह वृक्षावलियोंद्वारा हरे-भरे शिखरोंसे सुशोभित एक अत्यन्त ऊँचा महान् पर्वत बन गया और उससे पानीके झरनेकी भाँति शूल, प्रास, खड्ग और मूसल आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका स्रोत बहने लगा
śūlaprāsāsimusalajalaprasravaṇo mahān | sa vṛkṣāvalībhiḥ dvārā hare-bhare śikharaḥ suśobhitaḥ atyanta-ūñcaḥ mahān parvato babhūva, tataś ca pānīya-jharīva śūla-prāsa-khaḍga-musalādīnām astrāṇāṃ śastrāṇāṃ ca srotaḥ prasasrāva |
Sañjaya said: He became like a vast, exceedingly lofty mountain, its green and flourishing peaks adorned with rows of trees. From that “mountain” there poured forth, like a cascading waterfall, an unbroken stream of weapons—spears, lances, swords, clubs, and the like—an image of war’s overwhelming force, when human agency turns into a destructive torrent.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a powerful simile to show how warfare can become an impersonal, unstoppable flood of destruction. Ethically, it warns that when violence is unleashed at scale, it overwhelms discernment and compassion, pressing listeners to reflect on restraint and responsibility even amid kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya describes a warrior (contextually, a formidable combatant) appearing like a towering, tree-crowned mountain, from whom a torrent of weapons pours forth like a waterfall—spears, lances, swords, and clubs—indicating an intense phase of the battle where missiles and hand-weapons are being hurled in continuous succession.