Shloka 18
Adhyāya 140: Rātriyuddhe Droṇa-prāpti-prayatnaḥ
Night engagement and the attempt to reach Droṇa
जातरूपपरिष्कारेर्थनुर्भि: सुमहास्वनै: । सुवर्णपुड्खैरिषुभिनाराचैश्व सहस्रश:
jātarūpapariṣkārair dhanurbhiḥ sumahāsvanaiḥ | suvarṇapuḍkhair iṣubhir nārācaiś ca sahasraśaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Ada busur-busur yang dihias emas dan berdentang dengan bunyi tarikan yang dahsyat; dan ada anak panah—batang berbuluh emas serta nārāca berkepala besi—beribu-ribu jumlahnya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of human excellence: refined skill and wealth (gold-adorned bows and arrows) are being directed toward warfare. It invites reflection on how dharma becomes burdened when power and artistry serve destruction rather than protection.
Sañjaya is describing the battlefield’s armaments—powerful, loudly twanging bows and vast stores of arrows, including heavy nārācas—emphasizing the scale and intensity of the impending or ongoing combat in the Droṇa Parva.