Shloka 15

कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः

Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory

Devanagari script

अभूतां तावदृश्यौ च शरजालै: समन्तत: । मेघजालैरिव च्छन्नौ गगने चन्द्रभास्करी

Transliteration

abhūtāṃ tāvadṛśyau ca śarajālaiḥ samantataḥ | meghajālair iva channau gagane candrabhāskarī ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：有一阵子，那两位英雄在视野中消失了，四面皆被稠密的箭网所围，如同天空中的月与日被重重云团遮蔽一般。

Word by Word

• अभूताम्: became
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Luṅ (Aorist), 3, Dual, Parasmaipada

• तावत्: then/at that time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत्

• अदृश्यौ: invisible
• अदृश्यौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अदृश्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• शरजालैः: by nets/masses of arrows
• शरजालैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरजाल
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• समन्ततः: on all sides
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः

• मेघजालैः: by masses of clouds
• मेघजालैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेघजाल
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• इव: as if/like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• च्छन्नौ: covered/hidden
• च्छन्नौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छन्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual, kta (past passive participle)

• गगने: in the sky
• गगने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गगन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• चन्द्रभास्करी: the moon and the sun
• चन्द्रभास्करी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रभास्कर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Aśvatthāmā
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• arrows (śara)
• clouds (megha)
• moon (candra)
• sun (bhāskara)
• sky (gagana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the chaos of war can eclipse even the most eminent figures: like sun and moon hidden by clouds, warriors’ brilliance and identity can be obscured by the sheer volume of violence. Ethically, it hints at war’s power to distort perception and reduce persons to targets amid overwhelming weaponry.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the duel between Aśvatthāmā and Bhīma reaching such intensity that both become temporarily invisible, surrounded and concealed by a thick barrage of arrows, compared to the sun and moon covered by cloud-banks in the sky.