Shloka 18
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
अपश्यत् कृतमाकाशमनाकाशं जनार्दनै: । इस प्रकार जब उसके सारे अस्त्र-शस्त्र समाप्त हो गये, तब वह इधर-उधर देखने लगा। उस समय उसे सारा आकाश असंख्य विष्णुओंसे भरा दिखायी दिया ।। व 5 99 द्रोणपुत्रो निरायुध:
apaśyat kṛtam ākāśam anākāśaṃ janārdanaiḥ |
ครั้นนั้นเขาเห็นว่าเวหาไม่เป็นเวหาว่างเปล่าอีกต่อไป หากเต็มไปด้วยปางอันนับไม่ถ้วนของชนารทนะ (พระวิษณุ)
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that when martial strength and personal resources fail, a higher moral and divine reality becomes evident. The vision of innumerable Janārdanas suggests the omnipresence of the divine order that checks unrestrained aggression and reminds the warrior that dharma is not subordinate to brute force.
Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son), having exhausted his weapons, looks around for a way forward. At that moment he experiences a theophany: the sky appears completely filled with countless forms of Janārdana (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa), indicating an overwhelming divine presence surrounding the battlefield situation.