Shloka 36
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya-saṃvādaḥ; madhyāhna-saṅgrāma-pravṛttiḥ
Dhritarashtra–Sanjaya dialogue and the midday battle escalation
आविषध्य व्यसृजत् तूर्ण ज्वलन्तमिव पन्नगम् | तमापतन्तं सहसा कालानलसमप्रभम्,राजन! तत्पश्चात् पंखयुक्त तीखे बाणोंद्वारा शिखण्डीको भी बहुत घायल कर दिया। अश्व॒त्थामाद्वारा सायकोंकी मारसे खण्डित किये हुए उस खड्गको शिखण्डीने घुमाकर तुरंत ही उसके ऊपर चला दिया। वह खड्ग प्रज्वलित सर्प-सा प्रकाशित हो उठा। अपने ऊपर आते हुए प्रलयकालकी अग्निके समान तेजस्वी उस खड्गको अभ्वत्थामाने युद्धमें अपना हस्त-लाघव दिखाते हुए सहसा काट डाला। तत्पश्चात् बहुत-से लोहमय बाणोंद्वारा उसने शिखण्डीको भी घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | āviṣadhya vyasṛjat tūrṇaṁ jvalantam iva pannagam | tam āpatantaṁ sahasā kālānalasamaprabhām, rājan |
Sañjaya said: Having aimed well, he swiftly hurled (his weapon), blazing like a serpent. O King, as it rushed forward with sudden force—radiant like the fire of Time at the world’s end—Aśvatthāmā, displaying deftness of hand in battle, instantly cut it down. Thereafter, with many iron arrows, he grievously wounded Śikhaṇḍin as well. The passage underscores how martial skill and relentless violence escalate on the battlefield, where prowess is praised even as destruction multiplies.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic where skill (hastalāghava) and swift response are celebrated, yet it also implicitly shows how war magnifies destruction—Time (Kāla) imagery frames violence as overwhelming and inexorable.
A weapon—described as blazing like a serpent and as radiant as the apocalyptic fire—rushes toward Aśvatthāmā. He swiftly cuts it down in combat and then wounds Śikhaṇḍin with many iron arrows.