Shloka 31
Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ
Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements
तत् परे नान्वबुध्यन्त सैन्येन रजसा वृता:
tat pare nānvabudhyanta sainyena rajasā vṛtāḥ
Sañjaya said: But the others could not understand what was happening, for they were enveloped by the dust raised by the army. In the moral haze of battle, even clear signs and sound judgment are obscured by confusion and the press of violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, clarity of perception collapses: physical dust becomes a symbol of mental and moral obscuration. When conditions are turbulent, people fail to recognize events accurately, leading to misjudgment and further harm.
Sañjaya reports that the combatants on the other side did not comprehend the situation because the battlefield was shrouded in dust churned up by the moving army, preventing them from seeing and understanding clearly.