Shloka 38
तस्मिन् विनिहते पार्थे पाण्डवा: सृञज्जयै: सह । भविष्यन्ति गतात्मान: सुरा इव निरग्नय:
tasmin vinihate pārthe pāṇḍavāḥ sṛñjayaiḥ saha | bhaviṣyanti gatātmānaḥ surā iva niragnayaḥ ||
When that Pārtha (Arjuna) is slain, the Pāṇḍavas together with the Sṛñjayas will become as if bereft of life and spirit—like the gods themselves when deprived of the sacred fire.
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological truth that dharmic struggle depends not only on numbers or weapons but on sustaining inner resolve (symbolized by Agni). The loss of a central righteous leader can extinguish collective courage, making even the mighty feel powerless.
Vāyudeva foretells that if Pārtha (Arjuna) is killed, the Pāṇḍavas and their Sṛñjaya allies will become utterly dispirited—likened to the gods without fire—indicating a catastrophic collapse of morale and capacity to continue the war.