Shloka 26
शैनेयचरितम्
The Exploits of Śaineya/Sātyaki amid Encirclement
अर्करश्मिविभिश्रेषु शस्त्रेषु कवचेषु च । चक्षूंषि प्रत्यहन्यन्त सैन्येन रजसा तथा,योद्धाओंके अस्त्र-शस्त्रों और कवचोंपर सूर्यकी किरणें पड़नेसे वहाँ आँखें चौंधिया जाती थीं और सेनासे इतनी धूल उठती थी कि उससे सबके नेत्र बंद हो जाते थे
arkaraśmivibhiśreṣu śastreṣu kavaceṣu ca | cakṣūṃṣi pratyahanyanta sainyena rajasā tathā ||
Sañjaya said: As the sun’s rays struck the warriors’ weapons and armor, eyes were dazzled and vision was repeatedly disturbed; and from the marching host such dust rose that it made men’s eyes close. The scene conveys how war overwhelms human perception itself—glare and dust becoming instruments of confusion amid the clash of arms.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a moral-psychological truth of warfare: even nature’s neutral elements—sunlight and dust—become forces that impair clarity. It hints that in battle, discernment (viveka) is easily clouded, so ethical restraint and disciplined judgment are especially difficult yet crucial.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield conditions: sunlight flashing off weapons and armor dazzles the fighters’ eyes, while the army’s movement raises thick dust that makes people shut their eyes. The description intensifies the sense of chaos and sensory overload during the fighting.