Shloka 203
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय १६२: प्रातःसंध्यायां युद्धप्रवृत्तिः तथा रजोमेघे संमूढता
दौणिं प्रति महाराज जलं जलधरा इव । महाराज! अभ्र॒त्थामाके ऐसा कहनेपर वे सभी वीर उसके ऊपर उसी प्रकार अस्त्र- शस्त्रोंकी वर्षा करने लगे, जैसे मेघ पर्वतपर पानी बरसाते हैं
drauṇiṃ prati mahārāja jalaṃ jaladharā iva | mahārāja abhratthāmāke evaṃ kahane pare te sarve vīrāḥ tasya upari tathā astrāśastrāṇāṃ varṣaṃ kartum ārabdhavantaḥ, yathā meghāḥ parvate jalaṃ varṣanti |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, ketika Aśvatthāmā, putra Droṇa, berkata demikian, semua kesatria itu berbalik menyerangnya dan menumpahkan hujan senjata serta panah ke atasnya—laksana awan pembawa hujan mencurahkan air di puncak gunung.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly conflict intensifies in war: a single provocation can trigger collective retaliation. Ethically, it points to the danger of losing restraint (saṃyama) and discernment (viveka), where violence becomes self-perpetuating like an unstoppable downpour.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after Aśvatthāmā spoke in a certain way, the assembled warriors responded by attacking him, raining missiles and weapons upon him, compared to clouds pouring rain on a mountain.