Shloka 59
शल्यपर्व — चतुर्विंशोऽध्यायः | Śalya Parva, Chapter 24: Disruption of Kaurava Formations and the Elephant Encirclement
आसीत् सर्वमवच्छन्नं गाण्डीवप्रेषितै: शरैः । न प्राज्ञायन्त समरे दिशो वा प्रदिशोडपि वा,गाण्डीव धनुषसे छूटे हुए बाणोंद्वारा उस रणभूमिकी सारी वस्तुएँ आच्छादित हो गयी थीं। दिशाओं अथवा विदिशाओंका भी ज्ञान नहीं हो पाता था
āsīt sarvam avacchannaṁ gāṇḍīva-preṣitaiḥ śaraiḥ | na prājñāyanta samare diśo vā pradiśo 'pi vā ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Seluruh medan perang terselubung oleh anak-anak panah yang dilepaskan dari Gāṇḍīva. Dalam pertempuran itu, arah mata angin pun—bahkan arah antara—tidak dapat dikenal pasti; demikian dahsyatnya ribut panah yang menghapus segala pedoman dan tertib perang.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how unchecked martial force can overwhelm perception and order: in war, clarity and moral orientation are easily obscured, reminding the listener that power must be governed by discernment (viveka) and dharma.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield being completely covered by arrows shot from the Gāṇḍīva, to the extent that fighters could not distinguish even the main and intermediate directions amid the tumult.