Shloka 3
Bhīṣma–Arjuna Strategic Engagement at Virāṭa’s Frontier (भीष्मार्जुनयुद्धम्)
न सम सूर्यस्तदा भाति न च वाति समीरण: । शरजालावृते व्योम्निच्छाया भूते समन््तत:ः,उनके बाणोंके जालसे आच्छादित होकर आकाश सब ओरसे अन्धकारमय हो रहा था। उस समय न तो सूर्य प्रकाशित हो रहे थे और न वायु ही चल पाती थी
na sama sūryas tadā bhāti na ca vāti samīraṇaḥ | śarajālāvṛte vyomni chāyābhūte samantataḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Noon, hindi na nagliwanag ang araw gaya ng dati, ni hindi rin makaihip ang hangin. Nang matakpan ang langit ng lambat ng mga palaso, kumalat ang dilim sa lahat ng panig—larawang nagpapakita ng dahas ng labanan na tila nakapapawi maging sa kaayusan ng kalikasan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how unchecked violence can appear to overturn the natural order itself—suggesting an ethical warning that war’s intensity brings not only physical destruction but also a symbolic eclipse of clarity, balance, and harmony.
The narrator describes a fierce exchange of missiles: arrows fill the air so densely that the sky seems covered like a net, creating darkness; the sun’s light is obscured and even the wind is said to be unable to move freely.