Shloka 40
अध्याय ५८ — वानरध्वजस्य महेन्द्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Chapter 58: Arjuna’s Deployment of the Indra-Weapon
जिनकी मन-बुद्धि अमेय है, उन द्रोणने अपने विचित्र धनुषसे छूटे हुए सुवर्णमय पंखोंवाले बाणोंद्वारा सम्पूर्ण दिशाओं तथा सूर्यके प्रकाशको भी ढक दिया ।।
tataḥ kanakapucchānāṃ śarāṇāṃ nataparvaṇām | viyaccarāṇāṃ viyati dṛśyante bahavo vrajāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dijo: Droṇa, de mente e inteligencia inconmensurables, con flechas de plumaje dorado disparadas desde su arco singular cubrió todas las direcciones e incluso la luz del sol. Luego, en el cielo, se hicieron visibles muchas densas formaciones de flechas—flechas que surcaban el aire, de plumas de oro y nudos curvados—tan numerosas que parecían velar el propio espacio abierto.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the awe-inspiring power of disciplined martial skill and the intensity of battle; ethically, it points to the grave weight of kṣatriya action—prowess can dominate the world of perception, so it must be governed by dharma and restraint.
A combatant’s archery produces countless arrows with golden fletching; these flights of arrows fill the sky and become clearly visible as dense clusters, suggesting that the battlefield is being overwhelmed by a storm of missiles.