Shloka 38
कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः
Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory
अन्योन्यं छादयन्तौ सम शरवृष्ट्या महारथौ । शराम्बुधारौ समरे शस्त्रविद्युत्प्रकाशिनौ
anyonyam chādayantau samaśaravṛṣṭyā mahārathau | śarāmbudhārau samare śastravidyutprakāśinau ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dua pahlawan kereta perang agung itu, menurunkan hujan anak panah yang seimbang, saling menutupi antara satu sama lain. Di medan laga mereka tampak bagaikan awan pembawa hujan—menyimpan derasnya anak panah—disinari kilat senjata, ketika masing-masing berusaha mengatasi lawan dalam kepandaian perang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intensity and symmetry of martial contest: when power meets power, the battlefield becomes a spectacle of skill and force. Ethically, it underscores how war magnifies human capability into destructive brilliance—inviting reflection on the cost of prowess when directed toward mutual harm.
Sanjaya describes a duel between two elite chariot-warriors. Each releases such a dense and equal rain of arrows that they obscure one another, appearing like storm-clouds bearing torrents, flashing with the lightning-like gleam of their weapons.