Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
तैस्तै: कनकपुड्खानां द्यौरासीत् संवृता व्रजै: । कर्ण और भीमसेन दोनोंके बाणसमूह स्पर्श करनेपर आगकी चिनगारियोंके समान प्रतीत होते थे। अनायास ही उनकी युद्धमें सर्वत्र गति थी। सुवर्णमय पंखवाले उन बाणोंके समूहसे सारा आकाश छा गया था ।। न सम सूर्यस्तदा भाति न सम वाति समीरण:
sañjaya uvāca |
tais taiḥ kanakapudkhānāṁ dyaur āsīt saṁvṛtā vrajaiḥ |
na saṁ sūryas tadā bhāti na saṁ vāti samīraṇaḥ ||
तैस्तैः कनकपुड्खानां द्यौरासीৎ संवृता व्रजैः। न सम सूर्यस्तदा भाति न सम वाति समीरणः॥
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores how unchecked martial prowess can eclipse even nature’s order—sunlight and wind become imperceptible—inviting reflection on the ethical weight of war: valor and skill are celebrated, yet their magnitude also signals the overwhelming, world-darkening cost of conflict.
Sañjaya describes an intense exchange of arrows between Karṇa and Bhīmasena. Their golden-feathered shafts fill the sky in dense volleys; impacts resemble fire-sparks, and the battlefield becomes so saturated with missiles that the sun’s brightness and the wind’s movement seem to vanish.