Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 45
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
शूरबाहुविसृष्टानां शक्तीनां भरतर्षभ । ज्योतिषामिव सम्पातमपश्यन् कुरुपाण्डवा:
śūrabāhuvisṛṣṭānāṁ śaktīnāṁ bharatarṣabha | jyotiṣām iva sampātam apaśyan kurupāṇḍavāḥ ||
शूरबाहुविसृष्टानां शक्तीनां भरतर्षभ। ज्योतिषामिव सम्पातमपश्यन् कुरुपाण्डवाः॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impersonal, overwhelming momentum of warfare: even courageous warriors must face the swift convergence of deadly forces. Ethically, it points to the grave consequences of choosing war—once unleashed, violence moves with a force that is difficult to restrain.
Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle where powerful warriors hurl spears (śaktis). Both the Kuru and Pāṇḍava fighters witness the massed, simultaneous flight and impact of these weapons, compared to meteors or blazing lights falling together.
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