Shloka 67
यथाग्नि: सुमहानिद्ध: कक्षे चरति सानिल: । तथा जज्वाल भीष्मो5पि दिव्यान्यस्त्राण्युदीरयन्
yathāgniḥ sumahān iddhaḥ kakṣe carati sānilaḥ | tathā jajvāla bhīṣmo 'pi divyāny astrāṇy udīrayan ||
Sañjaya said: “As a great fire, once fully kindled, moves through the thicket when driven by the wind, so too did Bhīṣma blaze forth, hurling celestial weapons—spreading irresistible force across the battlefield.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a moral-psychological simile: power, once fully aroused and propelled by conditions (like wind), spreads rapidly and becomes difficult to restrain. In the dharma-of-war context, it highlights the awe and danger of unleashed martial energy and the grave responsibility that accompanies the use of extraordinary force (divine weapons).
Sañjaya describes Bhīṣma on the battlefield as blazing like a wind-driven forest fire, actively discharging celestial missile-weapons. The image conveys Bhīṣma’s overwhelming momentum and the spreading impact of his attacks in the Kurukṣetra war.