अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
तत: शरसहस््राणि प्रादुरासन् विशाम्पते
tataḥ śara-sahasrāṇi prādurāsan viśāmpate
Dijo Sañjaya: “Entonces, oh señor de los pueblos, miles de flechas aparecieron de pronto, colmando el campo de batalla mientras el choque se recrudecía; un signo severo de cuán velozmente la determinación humana se trueca en violencia desbordante en la guerra.”
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores the sudden, multiplying momentum of warfare: once conflict is unleashed, violence proliferates beyond easy restraint, reminding the listener of the grave ethical weight carried by those who choose battle.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, at that moment in the battle, countless arrows appeared—indicating an intense exchange of missiles and a rapid escalation in the fighting.