Shloka 32
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
मेघजालनिभ सैन्यं विदार्य शरवृष्टिभि: । विबभौ कौरवश्रेष्ठ; शरदीव दिवाकर:,जैसे शरत्कालके सूर्य मेघोंकी घटाको छिन्न-भिन्न करके प्रकाशित होते हैं, उसी प्रकार कौरवश्रेष्ठ अर्जुन अपने बाणोंकी वृष्टिसे शत्रुसेनाको विदीर्ण करके अत्यन्त शोभा पाने लगे
meghajālanibhaṃ sainyaṃ vidārya śaravṛṣṭibhiḥ | vibhau kauravaśreṣṭhaḥ śaradīva divākaraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Like the autumn sun that shines forth after tearing apart a mass of clouds, Arjuna—the foremost of the Kurus—split the enemy host with showers of arrows and appeared in heightened splendor. The verse frames martial prowess as disciplined, purposeful action: force is depicted not as chaos, but as a clarifying power that disperses obstruction and restores visible order on the battlefield.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a natural simile to present disciplined strength as a force that removes obstruction: Arjuna’s controlled martial action is likened to the autumn sun dispersing clouds, suggesting clarity, order, and purposeful duty rather than mere violence.
In the Ashvamedhika Parva battle context, Arjuna overwhelms and splits the opposing forces with continuous volleys of arrows, and his presence on the field becomes radiant and dominant—like the sun emerging after breaking through cloud-banks.