Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 126
Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)
सैन्येन्धनं ददाहाशु तावकं पार्थपावक: । अर्जुनरूपी महान् अग्निने क्रोधसे प्रजवलित हुई बाणमयी ज्वालाएँ फैलाकर धनुषकी टंकाररूपी वायुसे प्रेरित हो आपके सैन्यरूपी ईंधनको शीघ्रतापूर्वक जलाना आरम्भ किया
saindhanam dadāhāśu tāvakaṃ pārthapāvakaḥ | arjunarūpī mahān agniḥ krodhena prajvalitaḥ bāṇamayīḥ jvālāḥ prasārya dhanuṣaḥ ṭaṅkārarūpeṇa vāyunā preritaḥ tava sainyarūpam indhanam āśu dāhituṃ prārabdhavān |
Sañjaya said: The fire that was Pārtha began swiftly to consume your army as its fuel. Like a great blaze kindled by wrath, Arjuna spread flame-like volleys of arrows, and, driven by the wind of his bow’s thunderous twang, he set about burning up your forces without delay—an image of war’s consuming momentum when anger becomes the accelerant.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a fire-simile to show how anger can intensify violence: when wrath becomes the spark, skill and power turn into a consuming force. It implicitly cautions that even in a dharma-framed war, krodha accelerates destruction and must be understood as a dangerous fuel.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna, likened to a blazing fire, is rapidly cutting down the Kaurava forces. His arrows are described as flames, and the loud twang of his bow as wind that drives the conflagration, emphasizing the speed and inevitability of the rout.
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