Shloka 453
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
स पाण्डवयुगान्तार्क: कुरूनप्यभ्यतीतपत् । वे पाण्डुवंशके प्रलयकालीन सूर्य अपनी अस्त्रमयी किरणोंसे उस संशप्तकरूपी समुद्रको सोखकर कौरव-सैनिकोंको भी संतप्त करने लगे
sa pāṇḍavayugāntārkaḥ kurūn apy abhyatītatapat |
Sañjaya said: That warrior, like the sun at the end of an age for the Pāṇḍavas, blazed forth and scorched even the Kurus. With weapon-born rays he dried up the ocean-like Saṁsaptakas and spread burning distress through the Kaurava ranks—an image of war’s consuming, world-ending heat when dharma is contested by relentless hostility.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses yugānta-sun imagery to show how unchecked martial fury can become all-consuming. Ethically, it highlights the Mahābhārata’s tension: kṣatriya valor may be necessary in war, yet its heat spreads suffering widely, reminding the listener that adharma-driven conflict tends toward devastation.
Sañjaya describes a Pāṇḍava-side warrior (implied by context) blazing through the battlefield with overwhelming force, tormenting the Kuru troops and overpowering the Saṁsaptakas, likened to an ocean being dried up by the sun’s rays.