Shloka 37
भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः
Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead
दुःशासनं ततः क्रुद्ध पीडयामास पाण्डव: । पर्वणीय सुसंक्रुद्धो राहु: पूर्ण निशाकरम्,तदनन्तर कुपित हुए पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुन दुःशासनको उसी प्रकार पीड़ा देने लगे, जैसे पूर्णिमाके दिन अत्यन्त क्रोधमें भरा हुआ राहु पूर्ण चन्द्रमाको पीड़ा देता है
duḥśāsanaṃ tataḥ kruddhaḥ pīḍayāmāsa pāṇḍavaḥ | parvaṇīyaḥ susaṃkruddho rāhuḥ pūrṇa-niśākaram ||
Sañjaya said: Then the Pāṇḍava, inflamed with anger, began to torment Duḥśāsana—just as Rāhu, raging on the night of the full moon, afflicts the full orb of the Moon. The simile underscores how wrath in battle can become eclipsing and oppressive, momentarily blotting out restraint and compassion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger in war can become eclipsing—like Rāhu covering the full Moon—suggesting that even justified retaliation risks overwhelming discernment and humane restraint, a key ethical tension in dharma-yuddha.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna (the Pāṇḍava) turning fiercely upon Duḥśāsana and pressing him hard in combat, using the vivid image of a lunar eclipse to convey the intensity of the assault.