Shloka 19
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
तमोनुद मेघ इवातिमात्रं धनंजयं छादयिष्यामि बाणै: | '“सहस्रों किरणोंवाले सूर्यके सदृश प्रकाशित हो सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंको ताप देते हुए भयंकर वीर अर्जुनको मैं अपने बाणोंद्वारा उसी प्रकार अत्यन्त आच्छादित कर दूँगा, जैसे मेघ अन्धकारनाशक सूर्यदेवको ढक देता है ।।
tamonuda megha ivātimātraṃ dhanañjayaṃ chādayiṣyāmi bāṇaiḥ | sahasrāṃśu-kiraṇavān sūrya iva prakāśitaḥ sarvā diśo tāpayan bhīṣaṇaṃ vīram arjunaṃ bāṇair eva tathātyantam ācchādayiṣyāmi, yathā meghas tamonudaṃ sūryadevam āvṛṇoti ||
Sañjaya disse: “Sufocarei Dhanañjaya sob uma chuva avassaladora de flechas, como a nuvem vela o sol que dissipa as trevas. Ainda que Arjuna arda como o sol de mil raios, abrasando todas as direções com seu fulgor, eu o cobrirei, a esse herói temível, com meus dardos.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the psychology of war: even a radiant, righteous hero can be ‘veiled’ by overwhelming force. Ethically, it underscores how conflict often turns on intensity and strategy rather than merit alone, while also reminding the listener that brilliance (like the sun) can be temporarily obscured but not inherently extinguished.
In the Karṇa Parva battle setting, a warrior (as reported by Sañjaya) declares an intent to inundate Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) with a dense volley of arrows, comparing Arjuna’s radiance to the sun and the arrow-shower to a cloud that covers it.