Shloka 15
Arjuna’s Concentrated Archery and the Rout of the Kaurava Mahārathas
Gāṇḍīva-Nirghoṣa Episode
तौ रथौ सूर्यसंकाशौ योत्स्यमानौ महाबलौ | शारदाविव जीमूतौ व्यरोचेतां व्यवस्थितौ
tau rathau sūryasaṅkāśau yotsyamānau mahābalau | śāradāv iva jīmūtau vyarocetāṃ vyavasthitau ||
ਵੈਸ਼ੰਪਾਯਨ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ—ਉਹ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਰਥ ਸੂਰਜ ਵਾਂਗ ਚਮਕਦੇ ਸਨ ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਉੱਤੇ ਸਥਿਤ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਮਹਾਬਲੀ ਮਹਾਰਥੀ ਯੁੱਧ ਲਈ ਤਿਆਰ ਖੜੇ ਸਨ। ਆਪਣੇ-ਆਪਣੇ ਥਾਂ ਠਹਿਰ ਕੇ ਉਹ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਵੀਰ ਸ਼ਰਦ ਰੁੱਤ ਦੇ ਦੋ ਬੱਦਲਾਂ ਵਾਂਗ ਸ਼ੋਭਦੇ ਦਿਸੇ।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the solemn grandeur of warriors standing ready for battle: outward splendor and power do not remove the ethical weight of conflict. The imagery suggests contained force—like autumn clouds—implying that war, even when conducted with valor, carries a charged moral atmosphere where dharma will be tested.
Two mighty chariot-warriors take their positions, prepared to fight. The narrator (Vaiśampāyana) describes their brilliance and readiness through a vivid comparison: they look like two autumn clouds, impressive and ominously full, as the battle is about to begin.