Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 21
अध्याय २२ — अमर्याद-युद्धवर्णन
Unrestrained Battle Description and Śakuni’s Rear Assault
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत शल्यपर्वमें सात्यकि और कृतवर्गाका युद्धविषयक इकक््कीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
nānābāṇair mahārāja pramuktaiḥ sarvatodiśam | nājñāyanta raṇe vīrā na diśaḥ pradiśaḥ kutaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: O King, when countless arrows of many kinds were loosed in every direction, the battlefield fell into such confusion that neither the warriors could be clearly recognized nor the directions discerned—how much less the intermediate quarters. In that chaos, the furious son of Drona, Ashvatthama, by his all-encompassing volleys, checked Bhimasena’s advance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the violence and fury of war create overwhelming confusion—so intense that identity and orientation are lost. Ethically, it suggests that when anger and indiscriminate force dominate, clarity (viveka) and restraint recede, making right action difficult to sustain.
Sanjaya describes a moment of extreme battlefield turmoil caused by volleys of arrows shot in all directions. In that confusion, the enraged Ashvatthama (son of Drona) blocks Bhima’s forward movement through a dense barrage.