Shloka 186
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
वर्षन्त इव जीमूता: प्रत्यदृश्यन्त दंशिता: । सुवर्णकी मालाओंसे विभूषित वे सभी युद्धविशारद शूरवीर मेघोंके समान बाण-वर्षा करते हुए कवच आदिसे सुसज्जित दिखायी देते थे
varṣanta iva jīmūtāḥ pratyadṛśyanta daṃśitāḥ | suvarṇakī-mālābhiḥ vibhūṣitāḥ te sarve yuddhaviśāradāḥ śūravīrāḥ meghānām iva bāṇa-varṣāṃ kurvantaḥ kavacādibhiḥ susajjitāḥ dṛśyante sma |
Sañjaya dit : Cuirassés et parfaitement équipés, ces héros—parés de guirlandes d’or et versés dans les arts de la guerre—semblaient des nuées lourdes de pluie. Tels des nuages déversant des averses, ils paraissaient répandre une pluie de flèches, attisant l’élan redoutable du combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights how war magnifies human prowess into awe-inspiring spectacle. Ethically, it underscores the Mahabharata’s recurring tension—martial excellence and splendour can coexist with destructive violence, inviting reflection on the cost of conflict even when framed within a dharma-yuddha setting.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the armoured, well-equipped warriors—adorned with golden garlands—look like rain-clouds, because they are unleashing a dense ‘rain’ of arrows on the battlefield.