Shloka 23
तांश्कर्त शरैः पार्थ: सरोषाग्निसमुक्षितै: । विविशुश्नापि तं दीप्तं देहाभावाय पावकम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tāṁś cakarta śaraiḥ pārthaḥ saroṣāgnisamukṣitaiḥ | viviśuś cāpi taṁ dīptaṁ dehābhāvāya pāvakam |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Pārtha (Arjuna), his arrows driven by the fire of wrath, cut them all to pieces; and they too entered that blazing fire, seeking the destruction of their bodies. The scene underscores how uncontrolled anger turns martial skill into sheer annihilation, and how the victims, seeing no refuge, choose self-consuming surrender to the flames rather than continued suffering.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of krodha (anger): when wrath fuels action, even legitimate martial prowess becomes indiscriminate destruction. It also points to the tragic extremity of violence, where the afflicted may see death as the only escape.
Arjuna (Pārtha), enraged, shoots arrows that cut the opponents into pieces. Those beings then enter a blazing fire, intending the end of their bodily existence—an image of total defeat and self-consuming finality.