Shloka 18
Sātyaki-praveśaḥ and Duryodhana-saṃnipātaḥ
Sātyaki’s passage and Duryodhana’s mass engagement
शुश्रुवे शक्रमुक्तानामशनीनामिव स्वन: । बाणोंके परस्पर टकरानेसे उनकी धारोंके आघात-प्रत्याघातसे जो शब्द होता था, वह इन्द्रके छोड़े हुए वज्रास्त्रोंकी गड़गड़ाहटके समान सुनायी पड़ता था ।। नाराचैव्यतिविद्धानां शराणां रूपमाबभौ
sañjaya uvāca | śuśruve śakramuktānām aśanīnām iva svanaḥ | bāṇānāṃ paraspara-ṭakarāṇeṣāṃ teṣāṃ dhārāṇām āghāta-pratyāghātād yo śabdo bhavati sa indreṇa chūḍeṣu vajrāstreṣu garjanā-sadṛśaḥ śrūyate || nārācaiś ca vyatividdhānāṃ śarāṇāṃ rūpam ābabhau |
Sañjaya berkata: Benturan anak panah bergemuruh laksana halilintar vajra yang dilepaskan Indra. Dari tepi-tepi tajam yang saling menghantam dan memantul, bunyi yang timbul seakan raungan senjata vajra sang raja para dewa. Dan medan perang menampakkan hujan rapat batang panah serta anak panah nārāca yang saling bersilang dan saling menembus.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not give a direct moral injunction; it heightens the ethical tension of war by portraying its overwhelming force through divine imagery. By likening human-made destruction to Indra’s thunder, it underscores how battle magnifies kṣatriya duty into a terrifying, world-shaking ordeal—inviting reflection on the cost of violence even when undertaken as dharma.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield acoustics and spectacle: arrows collide edge-to-edge, producing a roar like Indra’s thunderbolt, while volleys of shafts and heavy nārāca-arrows crisscross and pierce through in rapid succession.