Shloka 39
शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः
Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel
शरान्धकारं सहसा कृतं तत्र समन्तत: । अभ्रच्छायेव संजज्ञे शरैर्मुक्तर्महात्मभि:,उन महामनस्वी वीरोंके छोड़े हुए बाणोंसे सहसा चारों ओर अन्धकार छा गया। मेघोंकी छाया-सी प्रकट हो गयी
śarāndhakāraṃ sahasā kṛtaṃ tatra samantataḥ | abhracchāyeva saṃjajñe śaraiḥ muktair mahātmabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Di tempat itu, kegelapan anak panah tiba-tiba menyelubungi segenap penjuru. Ia tampak seperti bayang awan, terhasil daripada anak panah yang dilepaskan oleh para wira berhati agung.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile—arrows creating a cloud-like shadow—to show how unchecked martial fury can ‘darken’ the field, symbolically suggesting that violence can obscure discernment (viveka) and make righteous action harder to perceive even for the noble.
Sañjaya describes an intense exchange of missiles: great warriors release so many arrows that the battlefield seems suddenly covered in darkness, as if a cloud’s shadow has fallen over everything.