Shloka 44
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
सहदेवस्तु समरे मातुल॑ दृश्य संगतम् । अवारयच्छरौचेण मेघो यद्धद् दिवाकरम्
sahadevas tu samare mātulaṁ dṛṣṭvā saṅgatam | avārayac charaughena megho yathā divākaram ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Sa gitna ng labanan, nakita ni Sahadeva ang kanyang tiyuhin sa ina na nakikipagsagupaan, at pinigil ang pag-abante nito sa pamamagitan ng pagtabon sa kanya ng rumaragasang ulan ng mga palaso—gaya ng ulap na tumatakip sa araw.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its hardest form: personal bonds do not erase battlefield duty. Sahadeva’s action is not personal hatred but disciplined restraint of an opponent, showing controlled force within the rules and necessities of war.
Sañjaya describes Sahadeva noticing his maternal uncle actively engaged in the battle. Sahadeva advances and halts him by enveloping him in a dense volley of arrows, compared to a cloud obscuring the sun.