Shloka 34
Adhyāya 107 — बहुयुद्धप्रकरणम्
Multiple Defensive Engagements to Protect Bhīṣma
वार्ष्णेय भुजवेगेन प्रणुन्ना सा महाहवे । अभिदुद्राव वेगेन कालरात्रियथा नरम्
sañjaya uvāca | vārṣṇeya bhujavegena praṇunnā sā mahāhave | abhidudrāva vegena kālarātriyathā naram ||
Sañjaya dit : Dans cette grande bataille, la lance (śakti), poussée par la force des bras du Vārṣṇeya, se rua à une vitesse prodigieuse vers Bhīṣma—comme si Kālarātri elle-même fondait sur un homme.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, human strength can unleash near-inevitable destruction; the comparison to Kālarātri frames violence as a force that overwhelms individual agency, reminding the listener of mortality and the grave ethical weight of martial action.
Sanjaya describes a spear-weapon (śakti) hurled by Sātyaki (called Vārṣṇeya). Propelled by his arm’s force, it speeds toward Bhīṣma in the thick of battle, likened to Kālarātri rushing upon a man.