Shloka 53
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
तापयामास च ट्रौणिं शैनेय: परवीरहा । विमुक्तो मेघजालेन यथैव तपनस्तथा,फिर शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले युयुधानने मेघोंकी घटासे मुक्त हुए सूर्यकी भाँति द्रोणपुत्रको संताप देना आरम्भ किया
tāpayāmāsa ca trauṇiṃ śaineyaḥ paravīrahā | vimukto meghajālena yathaiva tapanas tathā ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Y Śaineya (Yuyudhāna), matador de héroes enemigos, comenzó a abrasar al hijo de Droṇa. Libre de la red de armas semejante a nubes, ardió contra él como el sol, cuando se desprende de un cúmulo de nubes, quema con renovada fuerza. El verso subraya que, bajo la presión moral de la guerra, la pujanza se presenta como una fuerza que se intensifica una vez quebradas las defensas que estorban.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a sun-and-cloud metaphor to show that when obstructing defenses are removed, a warrior’s force can manifest with greater intensity. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: martial excellence is admired, yet it operates within the harsh, escalating logic of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma), where overcoming screens and countermeasures leads to renewed, often devastating, pressure on the opponent.
Sañjaya narrates that Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki), called Śaineya, turns fiercely upon Aśvatthāman (Trauṇi), son of Droṇa, and begins to ‘scorch’ him in combat. The comparison is to the sun emerging from a thick cover of clouds and then burning brightly—suggesting that after breaking through a dense barrage or concealment, Sātyaki’s attack becomes especially overpowering.