Shloka 253
Chapter 30: Formation Disruption, Competing War-Cries, and Nīla’s Fall
Droṇa-parva
प्रायुद्धक्ताम्भस्ततस्तेन प्रायशो<स्त्रेण शोषितम् | उस अंधकारका निवारण हो जानेपर बड़े भयंकर जलप्रवाह प्रकट होने लगे। तब अर्जुनने उस जलके निवारणके लिये आदित्यास्त्रका प्रयोग किया। उस अस्त्रने वहाँका सारा जल सोख लिया
sañjaya uvāca | prāyuddhaktāmbhas tatas tena prāyaśo 'streṇa śoṣitam |
Sañjaya said: Then the mass of water that had been released in battle was, for the most part, dried up by that weapon. When the darkness had been dispelled, terrifying torrents of water became manifest; to check that flood Arjuna employed the Ādityāstra, and that missile drank up all the water there.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in warfare, power is ideally directed toward restoring order and preventing uncontrolled harm. The Sun-associated Ādityāstra symbolizes clarity and restraint—neutralizing a destructive flood rather than escalating chaos—suggesting that skill and might should serve dharma by limiting collateral devastation.
After an obscuring darkness is removed, a terrifying flood-like release of water appears on the battlefield. Arjuna responds by deploying the Ādityāstra, whose solar force absorbs/drys up the water, thereby removing the immediate danger and stabilizing the situation.