Shloka 21
Abhimanyunidhana-prakāśaḥ — Vasudeva–Kṛṣṇa–Subhadrā–Kuntī śoka-saṃvāda
Disclosure and Consolation
ततः पार्थ समासाद्य पतड़ इव पावकम् | पजञ्चत्वमगमत् सौतिर्द्धितीयेडहनि दारुण:,कर्ण दो दिनतक युद्ध करता रहा। वह बड़े क्रूर स्वभावका था। जैसे पतंग जलती आगमें कूदकर जल मरता है, उसी प्रकार वह दूसरे दिनके युद्धमें अर्जुनसे भिड़कर मारा गया
tataḥ pārtha samāsādya pataṅga iva pāvakam | pañcatvam agamat sautir dvitīye 'hani dāruṇaḥ ||
Vāsudeva said: “Then, O Pārtha, the son of Sūta, fierce by nature, closed with you and met his end on the second day. Like a moth that rushes into a blazing fire and is consumed, he confronted you in battle and was slain.” The verse offers an ethical warning: reckless aggression and deluded valor, when driven by cruelty rather than dharma, hasten one’s destruction.
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the moth-and-flame simile to teach that rash, cruel, and dharma-blind aggression leads swiftly to self-destruction; true heroism is not mere ferocity but action aligned with right conduct and discernment.
Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) tells Arjuna (Pārtha) that a fierce warrior called “Sauti” approached and engaged Arjuna, and on the second day of fighting he was killed—likened to a moth flying into fire.