Shloka 22
Śalya-parva Adhyāya 26 — Duryodhana’s remnant formation and rapid engagements
विक्षिपन् सुमहच्चापं कार्तस्वरविभूषितम् । विसृजन् सायकांश्वैव विषाग्निप्रतिमान् बहून्ू,वह अपने सुवर्णभूषित विशाल धनुषको खींचकर उसके द्वारा विष और अग्निके समान भयंकर बहुतेरे बाणोंकी वर्षा कर रहा था
vikṣipan sumahaccāpaṃ kārtasvaravibhūṣitam | visṛjan sāyakāṃś caiva viṣāgnipratimān bahūn ||
Sañjaya said: He kept brandishing and drawing his very great bow, adorned with gold, and he released in volleys many arrows—terrible like poison and fire—pouring them forth in the fury of battle. The scene underscores how martial prowess, when driven by wrath, becomes a force of devastation rather than restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the terrifying potency of weaponry and skill when unrestrained in war; it implicitly contrasts sheer power with the ethical need for restraint (dama) and right intention, reminding that prowess without dharmic control becomes destructive.
Sañjaya describes a warrior in the thick of battle drawing a massive, gold-adorned bow and releasing many arrows in rapid volleys, likened to poison and fire for their lethal, consuming effect.