Shloka 4
अध्याय ९९ — युयुधान-दुःशासन-युद्धम्
Chapter 99: Sātyaki and Duḥśāsana’s engagement
महाराज! जैसे प्रकाशमान सूर्य सहस्रों किरणोंका प्रसार करते हैं, उसी प्रकार धृष्टद्युम्नने बाणसमूहोंकी वर्षा करते हुए रणक्षेत्रमें द्रोणाचार्यपर आक्रमण किया ।। ततः प्रववृते युद्ध त्वरतां सर्वधन्विनाम् । कुरूणां पाण्डवानां च संक्रुद्धानां परस्परम्,तदनन्तर परस्पर क्रोधमें भरे और उतावले हुए कौरव-पाण्डवपक्षके सम्पूर्ण धनुर्धरोंका आपसमें युद्ध होने लगा
sañjaya uvāca |
mahārāja! yathā prakāśamānaḥ sūryaḥ sahasrāṇi kiraṇān prasārayati, tathā dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ bāṇasaṃghān varṣayan raṇakṣetre droṇācāryam abhyakrāmat ||
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ tvaratāṃ sarvadhanvinām |
kurūṇāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ ca saṃkruddhānāṃ parasparam ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, just as the radiant sun spreads forth thousands of rays, so did Dhṛṣṭadyumna, showering volleys of arrows, launch his assault upon Droṇācārya on the battlefield. Thereupon, as anger flared on both sides, a fierce engagement broke out between the Kuru and Pāṇḍava archers—each rushing against the other.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger and haste intensify conflict: once leaders engage with full force, the entire body of warriors is drawn into mutual escalation. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning that krodha (wrath) clouds judgment and multiplies suffering, even when combat is framed as kṣatriya-duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛṣṭadyumna advances on Droṇa, releasing dense volleys of arrows likened to the sun’s spreading rays. This triggers a broader clash as Kuru and Pāṇḍava archers, enraged and rushing, engage one another across the battlefield.