Shloka 40
शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः
Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel
तत्र राजन शरैमुक्तिनिर्मुक्तिरिव पन्नगै: । स्वर्णपुड्खै: प्रकाशद्/िर्व्यरोचन्त दिशस्तदा,राजन! केंचुल छोड़कर निकले हुए सर्पोंके समान वहाँ छूटे हुए सुवर्णमय पंखवाले चमकीले बाणोंसे उस समय सम्पूर्ण दिशाएँ प्रकाशित हो उठी थीं
tatra rājan śaraiḥ muktinir-muktir iva pannagaiḥ | svarṇapuḍkhaiḥ prakāśadbhir vyarocanta diśas tadā ||
Sanjaya said: O King, there the quarters of the sky blazed at that time with shining arrows whose golden fletchings flashed—like serpents that have slipped free after casting off their skins. The image conveys how the battle’s violence filled every direction with dazzling, relentless motion, turning the very space of the world into a theatre of fear and awe.
संजय उवाच