Shloka 40
तत्र राजन शरैमुक्तिनिर्मुक्तिरिव पन्नगै: । स्वर्णपुड्खै: प्रकाशद्/िर्व्यरोचन्त दिशस्तदा,राजन! केंचुल छोड़कर निकले हुए सर्पोंके समान वहाँ छूटे हुए सुवर्णमय पंखवाले चमकीले बाणोंसे उस समय सम्पूर्ण दिशाएँ प्रकाशित हो उठी थीं
tatra rājan śaraiḥ muktinir-muktir iva pannagaiḥ | svarṇapuḍkhaiḥ prakāśadbhir vyarocanta diśas tadā ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô roi, là, en cet instant, les quartiers du ciel flamboyaient sous des flèches étincelantes, dont les empennages d’or lançaient des éclairs—pareilles à des serpents qui se sont dégagés après avoir quitté leur vieille peau. L’image dit comment la violence du combat emplissait chaque direction d’un mouvement éblouissant et inexorable, faisant de l’espace même du monde un théâtre de crainte et de stupeur.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive, but its ethical resonance lies in showing how war overwhelms the natural order: even the ‘directions’ are made to blaze by weapons. The simile of snakes shedding skin underscores relentless, repeated discharge—suggesting the dehumanizing momentum of battle and the peril of letting violence become self-propelling.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the battlefield is filled with volleys of radiant arrows. Their golden-fletched shafts flash in every direction, making the quarters seem illuminated, like snakes emerging after casting off their skins.