Shloka 20
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
ज्वलितैर्निशितै: प्रासशक््त्यूष्टिसपरश्वधै: । शैक्यायसमयैस्ती क्ष्णरभिघातो भवेद् वसु
jvalitair niśitaiḥ prāsaśaktyūṣṭisaparaśvadhaiḥ | śaikyāyasamayais tīkṣṇair abhighāto bhaved vasu ||
অম্বরীষ বললেন—হে বসু! পাথর ও লোহার নির্মিত, জ্বলন্ত ও অতি ধারালো প্রাস, শক্তি, উষ্টি ও পরশ্বধ দ্বারা এক ভীষণ, ছেদনকারী আঘাত উদ্ভূত হয়।
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh reality of armed conflict: when rulers choose the path of force, the result is a relentless, piercing assault with deadly weapons. Implicitly, it cautions that decisions in governance and dharma can unleash severe violence and suffering.
Ambarīṣa is describing to Vasu the nature of a battle-onset: an intense attack carried out with blazing, sharpened weapons—spears, javelins, clubs, and axes—made of stone and iron, emphasizing the ferocity of the impending or imagined combat.