Shloka 51
Adhyāya 10: Śrutakarmā’s Engagements; Prativindhya–Citra Duel; Drauṇi Advances toward Bhīma
न हाल त्वद्विसृष्टानां शराणां वै सकेशवा: । उलूका: सूर्यरश्मीनां ज्वलतामिव दर्शने,'जैसे उल्लू सूर्यकी प्रजजलित किरणोंकी ओर देखनेमें असमर्थ होते हैं, उसी प्रकार तुम्हारे छोड़े हुए बाणोंकी ओर श्रीकृष्णसहित समस्त पाण्डव नहीं देख सकते
na hāla tvadvisṛṣṭānāṁ śarāṇāṁ vai sa-keśavāḥ | ulūkāḥ sūrya-raśmīnāṁ jvalatām iva darśane ||
Sañjaya disse: “De fato, os Pāṇḍavas—mesmo com Keśava (Kṛṣṇa) entre eles—não suportam fitar as flechas que tu disparas, assim como as corujas não conseguem olhar para os raios ardentes do sol.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming force and brilliance can render an opponent psychologically and physically unable to respond—expressed through the ethical-neutral simile of owls and the sun. In the epic’s war context, it underscores the terror and dominance produced by a warrior’s missiles, while also reminding that perception and capacity have limits even for great heroes.
Sañjaya, narrating the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes the effect of the speaker’s arrows: the Pāṇḍavas, even with Kṛṣṇa (Keśava) present, cannot look at them. The comparison to owls facing the sun conveys the arrows’ blazing, irresistible appearance and the panic or helplessness they induce.