Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
पुनश्चैनं शरैघोरिश्छादयामास भारत । निदाघान्ते महाराज यथा मेघो दिवाकरम्
sañjaya uvāca |
punaścainaṃ śaraiḥ ghoraḥ chādayāmāsa bhārata |
nidāghānte mahārāja yathā megho divākaram ||
三阇耶说道:噢,婆罗多啊,那凶猛的战士又一次以可怖的箭雨遮蔽了他——正如酷暑将尽之时,云翳遮住太阳,噢,大王。此喻表明:在战争中,压倒性的力量能暂时掩没勇士的身影,于混乱之际考验其镇定与决心。
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights endurance under overwhelming pressure: in righteous warfare (kṣatriya-dharma), a warrior may be ‘eclipsed’ by adversity, yet the ethical demand is steadiness and continued resolve rather than collapse or panic.
Sañjaya reports that a fierce fighter again showers Sātyaki with terrible arrows, enveloping him—likened to a cloud covering the sun at the end of summer—signaling an intense phase of the battle where one combatant temporarily dominates.