Shloka 6.44.35
चतुश्चत्वारिंशः सर्गः (Sarga 44): निशायुद्धम्, धूलिरुधिरप्रवाहः, इन्द्रजितो मायायुद्धम्
सोऽन्तर्धानगतःपापोरावणीरणकर्कशः ।अदृश्योनिशितान्बाणान्मुमोचाशनिवर्चसः ।।।।
jahidāraya caihīti kathaṃ vidravasīti ca |
evaṃ sutumulaḥ śabdas tasmiṃs tamasi śuśruve ||
kālāḥ kāñcanasannāhās tasmiṃs tamasi rākṣasāḥ |
sampradṛśyanta śailendrā dīptauṣadhivanā iva ||
In the darkness a thunderous uproar was heard—“Strike! Tear him apart! Why do you flee?” In that same night the rākṣasas, dark of hue yet clad in golden armour, appeared like mountains whose forests of healing herbs gleam with light.
That sinful son of Ravana, who is capable of encountering rising up remained invisible and shot sharp arrows.
The verse frames war’s moral danger: in darkness and frenzy, discernment weakens. Dharma requires self-control and clarity even amid collective violence.
A night battle is underway; loud, confused battle-cries echo, and the rākṣasas—armoured in gold—are seen as eerie, luminous forms in the darkness.
Implicitly, the needed virtue is steadiness (dhairya) and vigilance—maintaining right judgment when fear and confusion dominate.