Shloka 16
भीष्मपातने कर्णविलापः | Karṇa’s Lament upon Seeing Bhīṣma Fallen
समिद्धो5ग्निर्यथा वीर महाज्वालो द्रुमान् दहेत्
samiddho 'gnir yathā vīra mahājvālo drumān dahet
Sañjaya said: “O hero, just as a well-kindled fire, blazing with great flames, would burn up trees, so too did that warrior’s fury and force appear ready to consume all who stood before him.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile to convey how unchecked martial power can become indiscriminate and consuming—like fire that does not distinguish among trees. Ethically, it highlights the terrifying momentum of violence in war and the need for restraint and discernment (dharma) amid destructive capability.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes a warrior’s overwhelming, blazing energy on the battlefield. The comparison to a great fire signals that the fighter’s advance threatens to burn through opposing forces as easily as flames consume a forest.