Shloka 6.44.22
चतुश्चत्वारिंशः सर्गः (Sarga 44): निशायुद्धम्, धूलिरुधिरप्रवाहः, इन्द्रजितो मायायुद्धम्
तत्रकाञ्चनचित्राङ्गैश्शरैरग्निशिखोपमैः ।।।।दिशश्चकारविमलाःप्रदिशश्चमहारथः ।
suvarṇapuṅkhair viśikhaiḥ sapatadbhiḥ sahasraśaḥ | babhūva rajanī citrā khadyotair iva śāradī ||
With thousands of golden-feathered arrows raining down in flight, the night looked wondrous—like an autumn night glittering with fireflies.
Mighty Rama with his shafts that were like flames of fire, decorated with gold, brightened in all directions.
Dharma is indirectly served by truthful depiction: the epic does not romanticize violence, yet it records how war can appear dazzling—prompting ethical reflection on beauty that masks harm.
The sky is filled with countless arrows; their gold fletchings make the battlefield-night appear illuminated.
Not a single virtue, but the epic’s satya (truthfulness) in narration—presenting the sensory reality of war while leaving moral discernment to the listener.