Shloka 11
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
न चैनं तावका राजन् विषेहुररिघातिनम् | प्रदीप्तं पावक॑ यद्धत् पतड़ा: कालचोदिता:
na cainaṃ tāvakā rājan viṣehuḥ arighātinam | pradīptaṃ pāvakaṃ yathā pataṅgāḥ kālacoditāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, your warriors could not withstand him—Abhimanyu, the slayer of foes. Just as moths, driven by fate, cannot endure a blazing fire and perish in its heat, so too were your troops overcome before his fierce onslaught.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming force of a dharmic hero in battle and underscores the role of kāla (Time/Fate): when destiny ripens, even many cannot withstand one blazing power—like moths drawn helplessly to fire.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava soldiers failed to endure Abhimanyu’s assault; they were scattered and destroyed, compared to moths perishing in a blazing flame.