Shloka 25
यथोदयन् वै गगने सूर्यो हन्ति महत् तमः । तथार्जुनो गजानीकमवधीत् कड्कपत्रिभि:,जैसे आकाशमें उदित हुआ सूर्य महान् अन्धकारको नष्ट कर देता है, उसी प्रकार अर्जुनने कंककी पाँखवाले बाणोंद्वारा उस गजसेनाका संहार कर डाला
yathodayan vai gagane sūryo hanti mahat tamaḥ | tathārjuno gajānīkam avadhīt kaṅkapatribhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Just as the sun, rising in the sky, destroys the vast darkness, so Arjuna, with arrows feathered like the wings of a heron, cut down and annihilated that elephant-corps. The simile underscores the moral force of clarity overcoming obscurity: in the press of war, Arjuna’s prowess functions as a dispelling of the enemy’s threatening mass, restoring advantage and order to his side.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Through the sun-and-darkness simile, the verse highlights how decisive clarity and strength can dispel overwhelming threat. Ethically, it frames Arjuna’s battlefield action as the effective removal of a dangerous obstruction in the performance of kṣatriya-duty, rather than mere violence for its own sake.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna attacks an enemy elephant-division and destroys it using arrows fletched with kaṅka-bird feathers, comparing Arjuna’s impact to the sunrise eliminating great darkness.