Shloka 44
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
सहदेवस्तु समरे मातुल॑ दृश्य संगतम् । अवारयच्छरौचेण मेघो यद्धद् दिवाकरम्,सहदेवने समरभूमिमें अपने मामाको युद्धमें आसक्त देखकर जैसे बादल सूर्यको ढक लेता है, उसी प्रकार उन्हें अपने बाणसमूहोंसे आच्छादित करके आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दिया
sahadevas tu samare mātulaṁ dṛṣṭvā saṅgatam | avārayac charaughena megho yathā divākaram ||
Dijo Sañjaya: En lo más recio de la batalla, Sahadeva, al ver a su tío materno entregado al combate, detuvo su avance cubriéndolo con un torrente de flechas, como una nube vela al sol.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its hardest form: personal bonds do not erase battlefield duty. Sahadeva’s action is not personal hatred but disciplined restraint of an opponent, showing controlled force within the rules and necessities of war.
Sañjaya describes Sahadeva noticing his maternal uncle actively engaged in the battle. Sahadeva advances and halts him by enveloping him in a dense volley of arrows, compared to a cloud obscuring the sun.