Shloka 52
Sātyaki-praveśaḥ and Duryodhana-saṃnipātaḥ
Sātyaki’s passage and Duryodhana’s mass engagement
अस्त्रे ते वारुणाग्नेये ताभ्यां बाणसमाहिते
astre te vāruṇāgneye tābhyāṃ bāṇasamāhite
सञ्जय उवाच—ते तव वारुणाग्नेये अस्त्रे बाणसमाहिते सज्जे आस्ताम्, बाणाः प्रहर्तुं सम्यगुपकल्पिताः।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly war intensifies when powerful astras are readied. Implicitly, it points to the ethical burden of deploying extraordinary force: once such weapons are prepared, restraint and discernment become crucial to prevent disproportionate destruction.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that two potent divine missile-weapons—the Varuṇa-astra and the Agni-astra—are being prepared, with arrows arranged for use, signaling an imminent and heightened phase of combat.