Shloka 18
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
सहस्ररश्मिप्रतिमं ज्वलन्तं दिशश्च सर्वा: प्रतपन्तमुग्रम्
sahasraraśmipratimaṃ jvalantaṃ diśaś ca sarvāḥ pratapantam ugram
सञ्जय उवाच—सहस्ररश्मिप्रतिमं ज्वलन्तं दिशश्च सर्वाः प्रतपन्तमुग्रम् । सर्वतो दहन्निव तद् दृश्यते स्म ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming power in war can appear almost cosmic—like the sun—evoking awe and fear. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: martial brilliance can dazzle the senses, yet it remains bound to the destructive reality of battle and the moral weight of violence.
Sañjaya is describing a terrifying, radiant presence on the battlefield—so intense that it seems to scorch all directions—conveying to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the scale and ferocity of what is unfolding in the Karṇa Parva.