Shloka 50
Chapter 51: Saṃdhyākāla-saṃhāra
Evening Withdrawal after Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
नानावर्णविचित्राणि धनूंषि च महात्मनाम् | विस्फारितानि दृश्यन्ते तोयदेष्विव विद्युत:,इन महामना वीरोंके फैलाये हुए अनेक रूपरंगके विचित्र धनुष बादलोंमें बिजलियोंके समान दृष्टिगोचर हो रहे थे
nānāvarṇavicitrāṇi dhanūṃṣi ca mahātmanām | visphāritāni dṛśyante toyadeṣv iva vidyutaḥ ||
สัญชัยกล่าวว่า—คันศรอันวิจิตรหลากสีของมหาวีรชนเหล่านั้น เมื่อถูกง้างจนสุด ก็ปรากฏดุจสายฟ้าแลบอยู่ท่ามกลางเมฆฝน
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the solemn readiness of great warriors: their power is portrayed through a natural simile (lightning in clouds), suggesting that martial strength, when aligned with kṣatriya duty, becomes an awe-inspiring force—yet also a portent of imminent destruction, urging ethical seriousness about war.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: the warriors’ bows are fully drawn and gleam in many colors, appearing like lightning within rain-clouds, signaling that combat is about to intensify.