Shloka 8
द्रोणस्य सुपर्णव्यूहः — युधिष्ठिरप्रत्यव्यूहः
Droṇa’s Suparṇa Formation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Counter-array
तब क्रोधमें भरे हुए नारायणीसेनाके गोपोंने हाथोंमें नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्र लेकर अर्जुनको अपने बाण-समूहोंसे आच्छादित करते हुए उन्हें चारों ओरसे घेर लिया ।। अदृश्यं च मुहूर्तेन चक्रुस्ते भरतर्षभ । कृष्णेन सहित युद्धे कुन्तीपुत्रं धनंजयम्,भरतश्रेष्ठ! उन्होंने दो ही घड़ीमें श्रीकृष्णसहित कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनको युद्धमें अदृश्य कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | tataḥ krodhabhareṇa nārāyaṇī-senāyā gopā nānāvidhāni astrāṇi śastrāṇi ca hastaiḥ gṛhītvā arjunaṃ sva-śara-vṛndaiḥ ācchādayantaḥ sarvataḥ paryavārayanta | adṛśyaṃ ca muhūrtena cakrus te bharatarṣabha | kṛṣṇena sahitaṃ yuddhe kuntīputraṃ dhanañjayam, bharataśreṣṭha | te dvābhyāṃ ghaṭikābhyāṃ kṛṣṇasahitaṃ arjunaṃ raṇe adṛśyaṃ cakruḥ |
Sanjaya said: Then, inflamed with anger, the cowherds of the Narayani host seized various weapons and missiles and, showering Arjuna with dense volleys of arrows, surrounded him on every side. In a moment, O bull of the Bharatas, they made him invisible from view. O best of the Bharatas, within a short while they so covered Kunti’s son Dhananjaya—fighting together with Krishna—that in the battle he could no longer be seen. The episode underscores how, in war, sheer massed force and coordinated assault can temporarily eclipse even the most righteous and skilled warrior, testing steadiness of purpose amid overwhelming pressure.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic: even a great warrior aligned with dharma can be temporarily overwhelmed by coordinated aggression. It emphasizes steadiness, discipline, and strategic awareness when faced with massed hostility, rather than pride in individual prowess.
The Narayani host’s gopa-warriors, enraged, seize assorted weapons and unleash dense arrow-showers, encircling Arjuna from all sides. The barrage becomes so thick that Arjuna—fighting alongside Krishna—cannot be seen for a time.