न पक्षिणो बश्रमुरन्तरिक्षे तदा महास्त्रेण कृतेडन्धकारे
na pakṣiṇo baśramur antarīkṣe tadā mahāstreṇa kṛte 'ndhakāre
Sañjaya berkata: Apabila senjata maha dahsyat itu dilepaskan dan kegelapan menyelubungi langit, bahkan burung-burung pun tidak mampu bergerak di ruang udara—demikianlah kelam yang membutakan dan menggerunkan, lahir daripada penggunaan kuasa astral yang besar dalam peperangan.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how the deployment of overwhelming weapons in war can disturb the natural order and create terror beyond the battlefield, implicitly raising ethical concern about the use of destructive power that blinds and disorients all beings.
Sañjaya describes the immediate effect of a great astra: darkness fills the sky so completely that even birds cannot fly in the air, signaling a frightening, unnatural condition produced by the weapon’s force.