Shloka 19
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय २७: सुशर्माह्वानम्, अर्जुनस्य प्रतिनिवर्तनम्, भगदत्तेन गजप्रहारः
नैव कुन्तीसुत: पार्थो नैव कृष्णो जनार्दन: । न हया न रथो राजन दृश्यन्ते सम शरैश्षिता:,महाराज! उस समय न तो कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुन, न जनार्दन श्रीकृष्ण, न घोड़े और न रथ ही दिखायी देते थे। सब-के-सब वहाँ बाणोंके ढेरसे आच्छादित हो गये थे
naiva kuntīsutaḥ pārtho naiva kṛṣṇo janārdanaḥ | na hayā na ratho rājan dṛśyante samaśaraiḥ śitāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, at that moment neither Pārtha Arjuna, the son of Kuntī, nor Kṛṣṇa Janārdana could be seen—nor the horses, nor even the chariot. All of them were completely hidden, covered over by a dense mass of sharp arrows.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the overwhelming force and chaos of war: even the foremost heroes and their divine charioteer can be visually ‘erased’ by the sheer volume of violence. Ethically, it highlights how battle reduces individuals to targets and obscures identity, warning of war’s power to eclipse discernment and humane perception.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa—along with their horses and chariot—are no longer visible because they are completely covered by a dense shower/heap of sharp arrows, indicating an intense exchange of missiles at that moment in the fighting.