Shloka 26
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
प्रादुर्भूती महावात: पांसुवर्ष पपात च । नभस्यथन्तर्दथे सूर्य: सैन्येन रजसा55वृत:,बड़े जोरकी आँधी उठ गयी। धूलकी वर्षा होने लगी। सेनाके द्वारा उड़ायी हुई धूलसे आकाश में सूर्यदेव छिप गये
prādurbhūtī mahāvātaḥ pāṁsuvṛṣṭiḥ papāta ca | nabhasy athāntardadhe sūryaḥ sainyena rajasāvṛtaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Tiba-tiba bangkit angin ribut yang dahsyat, dan hujan debu pun turun. Diselubungi debu yang dikocak oleh bala tentera, matahari lenyap dari langit. Kekacauan medan perang itu sendiri menjadi alamat—alam mencerminkan kegelapan moral dan kekusutan yang dilepaskan perang apabila kekuatan besar bertembung.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how collective violence generates not only physical destruction but also a symbolic ‘darkening’—clarity and order are obscured, suggesting that war tends to eclipse discernment (viveka) and heighten confusion, a moral warning embedded in the narrative imagery.
As the battle intensifies, a powerful wind rises and dust billows up like rain. The dust thrown up by the moving armies becomes so dense that it hides the sun, turning the battlefield into a dim, ominous scene.