Shloka 36
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 58 — Arjuna’s Arrow-Storm and Relief of Bhīmasena
दृश्यन्ते वै महाराज शरैश्छन्ना: सहस्रश: । महाराज! उस समय सब ओरसे बाणोंद्वारा आच्छादित होनेके कारण न तो आकाश दिखायी देता था, न दिशाएँ दीखती थीं और न सहसौरों योद्धा ही दृष्टिगोचर होते थे ।। ३५३६ || तथैव पार्षतो राजन द्रौणिमाहवशोभिनम्
sañjaya uvāca | dṛśyante vai mahārāja śaraiś channāḥ sahasraśaḥ |
Sañjaya said: O great king, thousands were seen completely covered by arrows. In that moment, because everything was veiled by flights of shafts from every side, neither the sky nor the directions could be made out, and even the mass of warriors was no longer clearly visible—so dense and blinding had the battle become.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the dehumanizing intensity of war: when violence becomes overwhelming, clarity—symbolized by sky and directions—disappears. It implicitly warns that unchecked martial fury obscures discernment and humane perception, even for those who are present.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield is so saturated with arrows that the sky and directions cannot be seen, and the warriors themselves are hard to distinguish—conveying the peak ferocity and confusion of the combat.