Shloka 186

Devanagari script

वर्षन्त इव जीमूता: प्रत्यदृश्यन्त दंशिता: । सुवर्णकी मालाओंसे विभूषित वे सभी युद्धविशारद शूरवीर मेघोंके समान बाण-वर्षा करते हुए कवच आदिसे सुसज्जित दिखायी देते थे

Transliteration

varṣanta iva jīmūtāḥ pratyadṛśyanta daṃśitāḥ | suvarṇakī-mālābhiḥ vibhūṣitāḥ te sarve yuddhaviśāradāḥ śūravīrāḥ meghānām iva bāṇa-varṣāṃ kurvantaḥ kavacādibhiḥ susajjitāḥ dṛśyante sma |

Translation

Sanjaya said: Armoured and fully equipped, those heroes—adorned with golden garlands and skilled in the arts of war—appeared like rain-laden clouds. Like clouds pouring down showers, they seemed to pour forth a rain of arrows, their martial splendour intensifying the fearful momentum of battle.

Word by Word

• वर्षन्तः: raining down (showering)
• वर्षन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वर्ष् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), पुं, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• जीमूताः: clouds
• जीमूताः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीमूत
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• प्रति: towards, in return, again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति

• अदृश्यन्त: were seen, appeared
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतन भूत), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम, बहुवचन

• दंशिताः: armed/accoutred, equipped (with armor/weapons)
• दंशिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दंशित
• Form: क्त (भूतकृदन्त), पुं, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• warriors (śūravīrāḥ)
• clouds (jīmūtāḥ/meghāḥ)
• arrows (bāṇāḥ)
• armour (kavaca)
• golden garlands (suvarṇa-mālā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights how war magnifies human prowess into awe-inspiring spectacle. Ethically, it underscores the Mahabharata’s recurring tension—martial excellence and splendour can coexist with destructive violence, inviting reflection on the cost of conflict even when framed within a dharma-yuddha setting.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the armoured, well-equipped warriors—adorned with golden garlands—look like rain-clouds, because they are unleashing a dense ‘rain’ of arrows on the battlefield.