Shloka 49
अथान्यद् धनुरादाय सर्वकायावदारणम् | शालस्कन्धप्रतीकाशमिन्द्राशनिसमस्वनम्
athānyad dhanur ādāya sarvakāyāvadāraṇam | śālaskandhapratīkāśam indrāśanisamasvanam ||
Sañjaya said: Then, taking up another bow—one that could tear through an opponent’s whole body—shining like the trunk of a śāla tree and sounding like Indra’s thunderbolt, he prepared for further combat. The verse heightens the war’s moral gravity by portraying weaponry not as mere equipment but as a force capable of total destruction, underscoring how the battlefield magnifies both prowess and the peril of unchecked violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse implicitly warns that martial excellence carries immense destructive capacity; in dharmic reflection, such power demands restraint and right intention, since war amplifies the consequences of human choice.
Sañjaya describes a warrior taking up a different bow, characterized by its terrifying ability to rend bodies, its massive appearance like a śāla trunk, and its thunderous sound like Indra’s bolt—signaling an intensification of the battle.