Shloka 14
तेषामापततां तत्र शरवर्षाणि मुज्चताम् । अर्जुनो व्यधमत् सैन्यं महावातो घनानिव
teṣām āpatatāṃ tatra śaravarṣāṇi muñcatām | arjuno vyadhamat sainyaṃ mahāvāto ghanān iva ||
Sañjaya said: As those warriors charged in and loosed showers of arrows there, Arjuna shattered their host—just as a mighty wind tears apart masses of clouds. The image underscores the overwhelming force of disciplined skill in battle, where courage without right measure and coordination collapses before superior mastery.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how disciplined prowess and strategic force can decisively disperse even a fierce assault. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s war-context emphasis on kṣatriya-dharma: effectiveness in battle is not merely rage or volume of attack (arrow-showers), but mastery that can neutralize chaos.
Sañjaya describes a moment where opposing warriors rush at Arjuna while firing volleys of arrows. Arjuna counters so powerfully that he breaks and scatters their forces, compared to a tempest that rends clouds apart.