Shloka 39

Devanagari script

शरान्धकारं सहसा कृतं तत्र समन्तत: । अभ्रच्छायेव संजज्ञे शरैर्मुक्तर्महात्मभि:,उन महामनस्वी वीरोंके छोड़े हुए बाणोंसे सहसा चारों ओर अन्धकार छा गया। मेघोंकी छाया-सी प्रकट हो गयी

Transliteration

śarāndhakāraṃ sahasā kṛtaṃ tatra samantataḥ | abhracchāyeva saṃjajñe śaraiḥ muktair mahātmabhiḥ ||

Translation

Di tempat itu, seketika terbentuk kegelapan anak panah di segala penjuru. Ia tampak seperti bayang-bayang awan, tercipta oleh panah-panah yang dilepaskan para kesatria berhati luhur.

Word by Word

शर-अन्धकारम्darkness of arrows (arrow-darkness)

सहसाsuddenly

कृतम्was made/was caused

तत्रthere

समन्ततःon all sides

अभ्र-छाया-इवlike a cloud-shadow

संजज्ञेarose/appeared

शरैःby/with arrows

मुक्तैःreleased/shot

महात्मभिःby great-souled (heroes)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

arrows (śara)

cloud-shadow (abhracchāyā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a vivid simile—arrows creating a cloud-like shadow—to show how unchecked martial fury can ‘darken’ the field, symbolically suggesting that violence can obscure discernment (viveka) and make righteous action harder to perceive even for the noble.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes an intense exchange of missiles: great warriors release so many arrows that the battlefield seems suddenly covered in darkness, as if a cloud’s shadow has fallen over everything.