Shloka 20
भीष्मस्य मण्डलव्यूहः — Bhīṣma’s Maṇḍala Battle-Formation and the Opening Engagements
तमेकं रथिनां श्रेष्ठ शरैस्ते समवाकिरन् । प्रावषीव यथा मेरुं सिषिचुर्जलदा नूप,नरेश्वर! जैसे मेघ वर्षाकालमें मेरुपर्वतपर जलकी बूँदें बरसाते हैं, उसी प्रकार उन सबने मिलकर रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ एकमात्र भूरिश्रवापर बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ की
tam ekaṁ rathināṁ śreṣṭhaṁ śarais te samavākiran | prāvṛṣi iva yathā meruṁ siṣicur jaladā nṛpa-nareśvara ||
Sañjaya said: Then all of them together showered arrows upon that single foremost of chariot-warriors, just as, in the rainy season, clouds pour down torrents upon Mount Meru—so did they begin a concentrated downpour of shafts against Bhūriśravas. The image underscores the war’s harsh ethic of overwhelming force, where even a solitary hero becomes the target of collective assault.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intensity and moral tension of battlefield conduct: a lone eminent warrior can be overwhelmed by coordinated force. It invites reflection on kṣatriya ideals of valor versus the pragmatic, often ruthless dynamics of war.
Sañjaya describes multiple fighters jointly raining arrows on the foremost chariot-warrior—identified in the given context as Bhūriśravas—likening the barrage to monsoon clouds pouring rain on Mount Meru.