Shloka 7
Droṇa–Arjuna Yuddha; Trigarta-Āvaraṇa; Bhīmasena Gajānīka-bheda
Droṇa and Arjuna Engage; Trigarta Containment; Bhīma Breaks the Elephant Corps
तन्मे दहति गात्राणि शुष्कवृक्षमिवानल: । यदिच्छामि महाभाग त्वत्प्रसादात् परंतप
sañjaya uvāca |
anme dahati gātrāṇi śuṣkavṛkṣam ivānalaḥ |
yad icchāmi mahābhāga tvatprasādāt paraṃtapa |
kathayāmāsa durdharṣo viniḥśvasya punaḥ punaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “This disgrace burns my limbs like fire consuming a dry tree. O noble one, O scorcher of foes, by your favor I wish to accomplish it.” Thus the hard-to-subdue Duryodhana, heaving deep sighs again and again, related his tale—seeking Bhīṣma’s support to overcome the humiliation of defeat and to regain honor within the harsh moral economy of war, where wounded pride can drive further violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked wounded pride and obsession with honor can ‘burn’ a person from within, pushing them toward further aggression; it also shows the ethical risk of seeking authority/elder support to validate retaliatory impulses rather than self-restraint.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, distressed by defeat and insult, repeatedly sighing, approaches Bhīṣma and expresses that the humiliation burns him like fire; he asks for Bhīṣma’s favor/support to regain victory and restore his standing.