Shloka 5
Śalya–Bhīma Gadāyuddham (मद्रराज-भीमसेन गदायुद्धम्)
नानद्यमान: पर्जन्य: प्रवृद्ध: शुचिसंक्षये । अश्मवर्षमिवावर्षत् परेषामावहद् भयम्,आषाढ़ मास बीत जानेपर वर्षके प्रारम्भमें जैसे मेघ अत्यन्त गर्जन-तर्जनके साथ फैलकर आकाशमें छा जाता और पत्थरोंकी वर्षा करने लगता है, उसी प्रकार द्रोणाचार्य भी बाणोंकी वर्षा करके शत्रुओंके मनमें भय उत्पन्न करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca |
nānadyamānaḥ parjanyaḥ pravṛddhaḥ śuci-saṃkṣaye |
aśma-varṣam ivāvarṣat pareṣām āvahat bhayam ||
Sañjaya said: Like a rain-cloud, swelling at the end of the hot season, roaring loudly and then pouring down as if it were a shower of stones, he rained forth (his missiles), bringing fear upon the enemy ranks. The image underscores how, in war, overwhelming force can crush morale even before bodies fall—an ethically charged reminder that terror itself becomes a weapon on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and intimidation function as real forces in war: overwhelming, relentless attack can break an opponent’s resolve. Ethically, it points to the grim reality that warfare targets not only bodies but also minds, making terror itself a strategic instrument.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene using a powerful simile: like a thunderous monsoon cloud at summer’s end that seems to rain stones, the warrior (contextually Drona in this episode) unleashes a dense ‘rain’ of missiles, causing panic among the opposing forces.