Shloka 17
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
मण्डलीकृतमेवास्य धनु: पश्याम भारत । सूर्यममण्डलसंकाशं दहतस्तव वाहिनीम्
sañjaya uvāca |
maṇḍalīkṛtam evāsya dhanuḥ paśyāmi bhārata |
sūryamaṇḍalasaṅkāśaṃ dahatas tava vāhinīm ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Bhārata, aku melihat busur Abhimanyu seakan-akan sentiasa membentuk satu bulatan—bersinar seperti cakera matahari—tatkala ia membakar habis bala tentera tuanku.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial skill, when driven by battle-duty (kṣatriya-dharma), can appear awe-inspiring and ‘sun-like’—yet it is ethically double-edged, because the same brilliance is described as ‘burning’ an army, reminding the listener that power and violence carry grave consequences.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the warrior’s bow is moving so swiftly it looks like a circular disk, shining like the sun, as he cuts down and ‘scorches’ the opposing forces in the thick of the Kurukṣetra battle.