Shloka 151
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
स हत्वा राक्षसानीकं रराज द्रौणिराहवे । युगान्ते सर्वभूतानि संवर्तक इवानल:
sa hatvā rākṣasānīkaṃ rarāja drauṇir āhave | yugānte sarvabhūtāni saṃvartaka ivānalaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Having slain the host of Rākṣasas, Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāman) shone forth in the battle. He seemed like the cosmic fire of dissolution at the end of an age, drawing all beings into destruction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the metaphor of yugānta-saṃvartaka fire to warn how unchecked martial fury can become indiscriminate and world-consuming. It highlights an ethical tension in dharma-yuddha: prowess without restraint risks sliding toward destructive excess that threatens all beings.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāman, after killing a Rākṣasa contingent on the battlefield, appears dazzling and terrifying. His battlefield presence is compared to the cosmic fire at the end of an age, emphasizing the scale and intensity of the slaughter.