Shloka 55
शल्यपर्व — चतुर्विंशोऽध्यायः | Śalya Parva, Chapter 24: Disruption of Kaurava Formations and the Elephant Encirclement
ततः प्रायाद् रथेनाजी सव्यसाची परंतप: । किरन् शरशतांस्तीक्ष्णान् वारिधारा घनो यथा
tataḥ prāyād rathenājau savyasācī parantapaḥ | kiran śaraśatāṁs tīkṣṇān vāridhārā ghano yathā ||
Sañjaya said: Then the ambidextrous Arjuna, scorcher of foes, advanced in his chariot into the battle, scattering hundreds of keen arrows—like a rain-cloud pouring down continuous sheets of water.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined action (niyamitam karma) in a dharmic crisis: Arjuna’s skill is not mere violence but controlled, purposeful exertion aligned with the warrior’s duty, expressed through the image of steady, impartial rainfall.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna drives forward into the battle on his chariot and releases volleys of sharp arrows in great numbers, compared to a rain-cloud pouring down sheets of rain.