Shloka 44
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
सहदेवस्तु समरे मातुल॑ दृश्य संगतम् । अवारयच्छरौचेण मेघो यद्धद् दिवाकरम्,सहदेवने समरभूमिमें अपने मामाको युद्धमें आसक्त देखकर जैसे बादल सूर्यको ढक लेता है, उसी प्रकार उन्हें अपने बाणसमूहोंसे आच्छादित करके आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दिया
sahadevas tu samare mātulaṁ dṛṣṭvā saṅgatam | avārayac charaughena megho yathā divākaram ||
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, Sahadeva, seeing his maternal uncle engaged in the fight, checked his advance by covering him with a torrent of arrows—just as a cloud veils the sun. The verse underscores the disciplined force of a warrior’s duty: even against a close relative, Sahadeva acts decisively within the demands of righteous warfare.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its hardest form: personal bonds do not erase battlefield duty. Sahadeva’s action is not personal hatred but disciplined restraint of an opponent, showing controlled force within the rules and necessities of war.
Sañjaya describes Sahadeva noticing his maternal uncle actively engaged in the battle. Sahadeva advances and halts him by enveloping him in a dense volley of arrows, compared to a cloud obscuring the sun.