Shloka 51
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
पुनश्चैनं शरैघोरिश्छादयामास भारत । निदाघान्ते महाराज यथा मेघो दिवाकरम्
sañjaya uvāca |
punaścainaṃ śaraiḥ ghoraḥ chādayāmāsa bhārata |
nidāghānte mahārāja yathā megho divākaram ||
ಓ ಭಾರತ! ಓ ಮಹಾರಾಜ! ನಂತರ ಅವನು ಮತ್ತೆ ಭಯಂಕರ ಬಾಣಗಳಿಂದ ಅವನನ್ನು ಮುಚ್ಚಿಬಿಟ್ಟನು—ಬೇಸಿಗೆಯ ಅಂತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೋಡವು ಸೂರ್ಯನನ್ನು ಮುಚ್ಚುವಂತೆ.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights endurance under overwhelming pressure: in righteous warfare (kṣatriya-dharma), a warrior may be ‘eclipsed’ by adversity, yet the ethical demand is steadiness and continued resolve rather than collapse or panic.
Sañjaya reports that a fierce fighter again showers Sātyaki with terrible arrows, enveloping him—likened to a cloud covering the sun at the end of summer—signaling an intense phase of the battle where one combatant temporarily dominates.