Shloka 156
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
आच्छादयन् दिश: सर्वा: सूर्यस्येवांशवो यथा । भारत! उस समय केवल उसका मण्डलाकार धनुष ही दिखायी देता था और उससे चारों ओर छूटनेवाले बाण सूर्यकी किरणोंके समान सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंको ढके हुए दृष्टिगोचर होते थे
ācchādayan diśaḥ sarvāḥ sūryasyevāṃśavo yathā | bhārata! tadā kevalaṃ tasya maṇḍalākāraṃ dhanuḥ eva dṛśyate sma, tataś ca sarvato niṣpatantaḥ bāṇāḥ sūryakiraṇasamaḥ sarvā diśaḥ ācchādayanta iva dṛśyante sma |
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, just as the rays of the sun cover all directions, so at that time the warrior’s arrows seemed to veil every quarter. Only his circular bow-disc was visible, and from it the shafts, flashing outward on every side like sunbeams, filled the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial power can become all-consuming—like sunlight filling every direction—inviting reflection on kṣatriya-dharma: prowess must be exercised within the bounds of righteousness, even when one’s strength seems irresistible.
Sañjaya describes a combatant whose rapid archery is so intense that only the circular sweep of his bow is visible, while arrows stream out in every direction like the sun’s rays, visually dominating the battlefield.