Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 5
अध्याय २२ — अमर्याद-युद्धवर्णन
Unrestrained Battle Description and Śakuni’s Rear Assault
यथा सैन्येन रजसा समुद्धूतेन वाहिनी । प्रत्यदृश्यत संछन्ना तथा बाणैर्महात्मन:
yathā sainyena rajasā samuddhūtena vāhinī | pratyadṛśyata saṃchannā tathā bāṇair mahātmanaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : De même qu’une colonne d’armée se trouve cachée lorsque la poussière soulevée par les troupes s’épaissit, de même cette armée semblait voilée—recouverte par les flèches du guerrier magnanime.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how violence and mass movement in war can cloud perception—like dust hiding an army—suggesting that in conflict, clarity is easily lost and events become hard to discern amid overwhelming force.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: the army appears concealed, first likened to being hidden by dust raised by troops, and then compared to being covered by a great warrior’s arrows, emphasizing the intensity of the missile-shower.