Adhyāya 16: Saṃśaptaka-vrata and the Diversion of Arjuna (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६)
न दिशो नान्तरिक्ष॑ च न द्यौर्नैव च मेदिनी । अदृश्यन्त महाराज बाणभूता इवाभवन्,महाराज! न दिशाएँ, न अन्तरिक्ष, न आकाश और न पृथिवी ही दिखायी देती थी। सम्पूर्ण दिशाएँ बाणमय हो रही थीं
na diśo nāntarikṣaṃ ca na dyaur naiva ca medinī | adṛśyanta mahārāja bāṇabhūtā ivābhavan ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai raja agung, tak tampak lagi arah mata angin, tak tampak ruang antara, tak tampak langit, bahkan bumi pun tak terlihat—seolah seluruh penjuru telah menjadi anak panah.
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores how unchecked violence overwhelms perception and judgment: when the battlefield is saturated with weapons, the very world (directions, sky, earth) seems to vanish, suggesting the ethical cost of war—loss of clarity, restraint, and humane orientation.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the fighting has become so intense and the air so filled with arrows that one cannot distinguish directions, sky, or earth; everything appears as if transformed into a mass of arrows.