Shloka 19
अथापरे पुन: शूराश्वेदिपठ्चालकेकया: । कारूषा: कोसला: काउ्च्या मागधाश्षचापि दुद्र॒ुवु:,तदनन्तर पुनः दूसरे शूरवीर चेदि, पांचाल, केकय, कारूष, कोसल, कांचीनिवासी और मागध सैनिक भी हमी लोगोंपर चढ़ आये बाणान्धकारमभवत् तयो राजन् महामृथे । अन्योन्यस्य धनुश्चैव चिच्छिदुस्ते महारथा: राजन! उस महासमरमें उन दोनोंके बाणोंसे अन्धकार छा गया। फिर उन तीनों महारथियोंने एक दूसरेके धनुष काट डाले
athāpare punaḥ śūrāś cedi-pāñcāla-kekayāḥ | kārūṣāḥ kosalāḥ kāñcyā māgadhāś cāpi dudruvuḥ || bāṇāndhakāram abhavat tayo rājan mahāmṛdhe | anyonyasya dhanuś caiva cicchidus te mahārathāḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: Então outros valentes guerreiros —os de Cedi, Pañcāla, Kekaya, Kārūṣa, Kosala, Kāñcī e Magadha—também avançaram em investida. Ó Rei, naquela grande batalha formou-se uma escuridão pela chuva de flechas. E aqueles grandes guerreiros de carro cortaram os arcos uns dos outros, cada qual buscando quebrar o poder e a determinação do adversário em meio ao morticínio.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war rapidly draws in many allies and regions, and how skill and aggression (such as cutting an opponent’s bow) become decisive. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning: once violence is unleashed, it spreads and darkens judgment—symbolized by the ‘darkness’ of arrows—making restraint and dharma harder to uphold.
Sañjaya reports that additional contingents from several kingdoms charge into the fight. The exchange of arrows becomes so dense that it seems like darkness. In the clash, elite chariot-warriors sever one another’s bows, a tactical move to disable an opponent and gain advantage.