Shloka 233
Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)
जीमूतयोर्यथा वृष्टिस्तपान्ते भरतर्षभ । महाराज! भरतश्रेष्ठ! जैसे वर्षा-ऋतुमें दो मेघखण्ड पानी बरसा रहे हों, उसी प्रकार उन दोनोंके बाणोंकी वहाँ अत्यन्त भयंकर वर्षा होने लगी
jīmūtayor yathā vṛṣṭis tapānte bharatarṣabha | mahārāja bharataśreṣṭha yathā varṣā-ṛtau dve meghakhaṇḍe pānīyaṃ varṣataḥ syātām tathā tayor bāṇānāṃ tatra atyanta-bhayankarā vṛṣṭir abhavat ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô taureau parmi les Bharata, ô grand roi, le meilleur de la lignée de Bharata : de même qu’à la fin de l’ardeur estivale, en saison des pluies, deux masses de nuages déversent l’averse, ainsi s’éleva là une pluie de flèches, des plus terribles, lancée par ces deux guerriers.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily heightens the ethical gravity of war through imagery: human violence can become as overwhelming and impersonal as a natural storm. By likening arrows to monsoon rain after scorching heat, it suggests how accumulated hostility culminates in an unstoppable outpouring, urging reflection on the cost of conflict and the responsibility of rulers.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra that two opposing warriors are exchanging such a dense volley of arrows that it resembles two rain-cloud masses pouring rain in the monsoon—an intense, frightening ‘shower’ of missiles on the battlefield.