Shloka 93
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
ऊरुग्राहगृहीताश्न केचित् तत्राभवन् भुवि । हतानां चापरे मध्ये द्विरदानां निलिल्यिरे,नैशं तमों5शुभि: क्षिप्रं दिनादाविव भास्कर: । तदनन्तर कौरवोंने अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी इतनी वर्षा की कि वहाँ अँधेरा छा गया। दूसरे कोई योद्धा उस अन्धकारको नष्ट करनेका विचार भी मनमें नहीं ला सकते थे; परंतु पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनने बड़ी शीघ्रता-सी करते हुए दिव्यास्त्रसम्बन्धी मन्त्रोंद्वारा अभिमन्त्रित बाणोंसे पराक्रमपूर्वक उसे नष्ट कर दिया। ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे प्रातःकालमें सूर्य अपनी किरणोंद्वारा रात्रिके अन्धकारको शीघ्र नष्ट कर देते हैं कुछ लोग बिना हिले-डुले इस प्रकार भूमिपर खड़े थे, मानो उनकी जाँघें अकड़ गयी हों। दूसरे बहुत-से सैनिक वहाँ मारे गये हाथियोंके बीचमें जा छिपे थे
ūru-grāha-gṛhītāś ca kecit tatrābhavan bhuvi | hatānāṃ cāpare madhye dviradānāṃ nililyire | naiśaṃ tamo 'śubhiḥ kṣipraṃ dinādāv iva bhāskaraḥ |
Sañjaya said: Some warriors stood there on the ground as if seized by a grip upon their thighs—rigid and unable to move. Others, amid the slain, hid themselves among the elephants. And that night-like darkness was swiftly dispelled by radiant shafts, just as the Sun at daybreak quickly drives away the gloom of night—suggesting that even in the chaos of war, courage and mastery can restore clarity where fear and confusion prevail.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear can paralyze even trained warriors, while clarity and resolve—symbolized by light dispelling darkness—restore agency amid chaos. Ethically, it underscores the inner battle in war: steadiness and discernment are as decisive as weapons.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: some fighters are immobilized as if their thighs are gripped, while others hide among elephants and the slain. A simile compares the swift removal of darkness to the Sun dispersing night at dawn, conveying a sudden return of visibility/clarity after obscuration.