Shloka 18
दुर्भद्य धनुषवाले अर्जुन भीष्मको युद्धभूमिमें छोड़कर और उनके सारथिको बाणोंसे बींधकर रथोंके घेरेसे बाहर जा खड़े हुए। उस समय वे बादलोंको छिल्न-भिन्न करके प्रकाशित होनेवाले सूर्यदेवकी भाँति शोभा पा रहे थे
Durabhya-dhanuṣavāle Arjunaḥ Bhīṣmakaṃ yuddhabhūmau tyaktvā, tasya sārathiṃ ca bāṇaiḥ viddhvā, rathānāṃ gherāt bahiḥ gatvā tiṣṭhati sma. Tadā sa meghān chinna-bhinna-kṛtvā prakāśamānaḥ sūryadeva iva śobhāṃ prāpa.
Vaiśampāyana said: Arjuna, hard to assail and mighty with the bow, left Bhīṣma on the battlefield; and after piercing his charioteer with arrows, he moved out beyond the encircling ring of chariots and stood apart. At that moment he shone like the sun, breaking through and illuminating the clouds—an image that underscores the warrior’s decisive prowess and the moral gravity of combat where skill and resolve determine the course of duty-bound action.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights decisive action and mastery in a dharma-governed battle: a warrior must act with clarity and resolve, overcoming obstacles like the sun breaking through clouds, while recognizing the grave ethical weight of violence even when performed as duty.
Arjuna disengages from Bhīṣmaka on the battlefield, strikes Bhīṣmaka’s charioteer with arrows, and moves beyond the surrounding chariot formation to stand outside it; his radiance is compared to the sun emerging through torn clouds.