Shloka 6
पार्षतेन परामृष्टं ज्वलन्तमिव तद् धनु: । अन्तकालमनुप्राप्तं मेनिरे वीक्ष्य सैनिका:,धृष्टद्युम्नके हाथमें आये हुए उस प्रज्वलित अग्निके सदृश तेजस्वी धनुषको देखकर सब सैनिक यह समझने लगे कि “मेरा अन्तकाल आ पहुँचा है”
pārṣatena parāmṛṣṭaṃ jvalantam iva tad dhanuḥ | antakālam anuprāptaṃ menire vīkṣya sainikāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: When the soldiers saw that bow—seized by Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)—blazing as if on fire, they took it as a sign that their final hour had arrived.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the visible signs of a formidable warrior’s resolve can collapse an army’s morale: fear of death (antakāla) arises not only from actual injury but from the perception of inevitable defeat, reminding readers of war’s psychological and ethical cost.
Sañjaya reports that Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata) has taken up a bow that appears to blaze like fire; seeing this, the soldiers interpret it as an omen that their death is near and become inwardly shaken.