Shloka 53
अध्याय ५८ — वानरध्वजस्य महेन्द्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Chapter 58: Arjuna’s Deployment of the Indra-Weapon
एवं शूरौ महेष्वासौ विसृजन्ती शिताउछरान् | एकच्छायं चक्रतुस्तावाकाशं शरवृष्टिभि:
evaṁ śūrau maheṣvāsau visṛjantī śitoccharān | ekacchāyaṁ cakratus tāv ākāśaṁ śaravṛṣṭibhiḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : Ainsi ces deux héros, grands archers, ne cessaient de décocher des flèches acérées ; et par leur pluie de traits, ils firent paraître le ciel comme recouvert d’une seule ombre, tant elle était dense.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the awe-inspiring power of disciplined martial skill: when warriors act with mastery and resolve, their actions can transform the world around them. Implicitly, it also reminds the listener that such power in war carries ethical gravity, since excellence in violence can overwhelm even the ‘sky’ of ordinary order.
Two renowned archers are engaged in a fierce exchange, releasing sharp arrows in such volume that the sky appears covered by a single, continuous shadow—an image for an unbroken barrage of missiles.