Shloka 456
रजसा तमसा व्याप्ता द्योतिता: प्रभया पुन: । धूल और अन्धकारसे व्याप्त आकाश, पृथ्वी, दिशा और विदिशाएँ प्रदीपोंकी प्रभासे पुनः प्रकाशित हो उठी थीं
rajasā tamasā vyāptā dyotitāḥ prabhayā punaḥ |
Sañjaya said: The expanse that had been engulfed by dust and darkness was once again lit up by radiance—so that the sky, the earth, and all the directions and intermediate quarters appeared illuminated, as if by lamps. In the midst of war’s confusion, this image underscores how clarity can briefly return even after overwhelming obscuration.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the contrast of dust-and-darkness versus renewed illumination to suggest that confusion and moral-mental obscuration (tamas/rajas) can be temporarily dispelled, allowing perception and discernment to return—even amid the turmoil of war.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield scene where dust and darkness had spread everywhere, but then light appears again, making the surroundings—sky, earth, and directions—visible and bright, as though lit by lamps.