Shloka 10
द्रौपदीश्रमः तथा घटोत्कचस्मरणम्
Draupadī’s Exhaustion and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
न चापश्यंस्ततो<न्योन्यं तमसावृतचक्षुष: । आकृष्यमाणा वातेन साभश्मचूर्णेन भारत,धूलसे आकाशके ढक जानेसे कुछ भी सूझ नहीं पड़ता था; इसीलिये वे एक-दूसरेसे बातचीत भी नहीं कर पाते थे। अन्धकारने आँखोंपर पर्दा डाल दिया था; जिससे पाण्डवलोग एक-दूसरेके दर्शनसे भी वज्चित हो गये थे। भारत! पत्थरोंका चूर्ण बिखेरती हुई वायु उन्हें कहीं-से-कहीं खींच लिये जाती थी
na cāpaśyaṃs tato 'nyonyaṃ tamasāvṛtacakṣuṣaḥ | ākṛṣyamāṇā vātena sābhasmacūrṇena bhārata ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Blinded by enveloping darkness, they could no longer see one another. And, O Bhārata, as the wind—laden with dust and powdered grit—dragged at them, they were swept away from place to place, unable even to communicate with each other in that blinding storm.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how external forces—symbolized by darkness and dust-laden wind—can overwhelm perception and communication; it implicitly values steadiness and mutual support when clarity is lost.
A blinding darkness and a wind filled with dust/ash prevent the group from seeing one another; they are physically pulled about by the storm and become separated and unable to speak effectively.