Shloka 19
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
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 ||
Санджая сказал: Затем и другие доблестные воины — из Чеди, Панчалы, Кекая, Каруши, Косалы, Канчии и Магадхи — также ринулись вперёд. О царь, в той великой битве от ливня стрел сгустилась тьма. И те великие колесничие-ратники рассекали луки друг друга, каждый стремясь сломить силу и решимость противника среди побоища.
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.