Shloka 60
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
कण्णाग्निना रणे तद्वद् दग्धा भारत सृञ्जया: । भरतनन्दन! जैसे जलती आगमें पड़ जानेपर सभी मनुष्य दग्ध हो जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार सूंजय-सैनिक रणभूमिमें कर्णरूपी अग्निसे जलकर भस्म हो गये ।।
karṇāgninā raṇe tadvad dagdhā bhārata sṛñjayāḥ | bharatanandana! yathā jvalitāgnau patitāḥ sarve manuṣyā dagdhā bhavanti, tathā sṛñjaya-sainikā raṇabhūmau karṇa-rūpeṇāgninā dagdhā bhasmībhūtāḥ || karṇena ca cedikaikeyapāñcāleṣu ca bhārata
সঞ্জয় বললেন—হে ভারত, হে ভরতনন্দন! যেমন জ্বলন্ত অগ্নিতে পতিত হলে সকল মানুষ দগ্ধ হয়ে ভস্মীভূত হয়, তেমনি রণভূমিতে কর্ণরূপ অগ্নিতে সৃঞ্জয়-যোদ্ধারা দগ্ধ হয়ে ছাই হয়ে গেল। আর হে ভারত, কর্ণ চেদি, কৈকেয় ও পাঞ্চালদেরও তদ্রূপ নিপাত করল।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the catastrophic power unleashed in war: when a warrior’s prowess becomes ‘fire-like,’ entire communities are consumed. Ethically, it highlights how martial excellence, when directed toward mass slaughter, turns the battlefield into a space of irreversible loss—inviting reflection on the cost of kṣatriya violence and the fragility of human life.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa is devastating the Pāṇḍava-aligned forces. Using a fire simile, he says the Sṛñjaya soldiers are burned to ashes by Karṇa’s onslaught, and adds that Karṇa is also striking down the Cedis, Kaikeyas, and Pāñcālas.