Shloka 5
सेनासमागमः — The Convergence of Armies
फरसे, भिन्दिपाल, शूल, तोमर, मुद्गर, परिघ, यष्टि, पाश, निर्मल तलवार, खड््गः, धनुषसमूह तथा भाँति-भाँतिके बाण आदि अस्त्र-शस्त्र तेलमें धुले होनेके कारण चमचमा रहे थे, जिनसे वह सेना सुशोभित हो रही थी ।।
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | tasya meghaprakāśasya sauvarṇaḥ śobhitasya ca | babhūva rūpaṃ sainyasya meghasyeva savidyutaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Axes, bhindipālas, spears, tomaras, maces, iron clubs, staffs, nooses, and spotless swords—together with ranks of swords and bows and arrows of many kinds—gleamed from being cleaned and oiled, adorning that army. Sātyaki’s host, dark as a cloud in its mass (with its elephants and black attire), yet beautified by golden ornaments, looked like a rain-cloud shot through with lightning.”
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war gathers momentum through organized power and dazzling display: the army’s splendor (gold, polished weapons) coexists with its ominous mass (cloud-dark), suggesting that outward brilliance can accompany impending violence and should be viewed with moral seriousness.
The narrator describes the assembled force as cloud-like and dark in bulk, yet flashing with golden ornaments like lightning in a storm-cloud—an image emphasizing the army’s scale, readiness, and intimidating beauty as the conflict approaches.