Shloka 22
Śalya’s Objection to Sārathya and Duryodhana’s Conciliation (शल्यमन्यु-प्रशमनम् / Sārathyāṅgīkāra)
तैर्विमुक्तै: शरशतैश्छादितं गगनं तदा । शलभानां यथा व्रातैस्तद्वदासीद् विशाम्पते,प्रजानाथ! उस समय धनुषसे छूटे हुए सौ-सौ बाणोंद्वारा आच्छादित हुआ आकाश पतंगोंके समूहसे भरा हुआ-सा प्रतीत होता था
sañjaya uvāca |
tair vimuktaiḥ śaraśatais chāditaṃ gaganaṃ tadā |
śalabhānāṃ yathā vrātais tadvad āsīd viśāṃpate prajānātha ||
Sañjaya nói: Khi ấy, bầu trời bị che kín bởi hàng trăm, hàng trăm mũi tên phóng ra từ cung. Ôi bậc chúa của muôn dân, nó trông như bị lấp đầy bởi đàn châu chấu—dày đặc đến nghẹt thở trong cuộc chiến vừa chính nghĩa vừa khủng khiếp ấy.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the overwhelming momentum of war: when conflict escalates, it can blanket perception itself—symbolized by the sky hidden by arrows. Implicitly it warns that adharma-driven rivalry produces a storm of consequences that engulfs all, even those who merely witness or rule from afar.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield has become so intense that volleys of arrows fill the air. He uses a vivid simile: the sky looks like it is crowded with swarms of locusts, conveying density, speed, and terror of the missile exchange.