Shloka 19
अध्याय ३१ — द्रोणानीके तुमुलसंग्रामः
The Tumultuous Battle around Droṇa’s Formation
ततो नीलो5नलप्रख्यो ददाह कुरुवाहिनीम् । शरस्फुलिड्जश्चापार्चिर्दहन् कक्षमिवानल:,तदनन्तर अग्निके समान कान्तिमान् नील बाणरूपी चिनगारियों तथा धनुषरूपी लपटोंका विस्तार करते हुए कौरव-सेनाको दग्ध करने लगे, मानो आग घास-फूसके ढेरको जला रही हो
tato nīlo'nalaprakhyo dadāha kuruvāhinīm | śarasphuliṅgaś cāpārciḥ dahan kakṣam ivānalaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Nīla, blazing like fire itself, began to burn the Kuru host—his arrows like flying sparks and his bow like a spreading flame—consuming the army as a wildfire devours dry grass. The scene shows how, in war’s frenzy, a single warrior’s wrath and prowess can turn the battlefield into an indiscriminate conflagration, overwhelming friend and foe alike and deepening the moral darkness of slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a fire metaphor to highlight how warfare amplifies destructive power: a warrior’s skill can become a consuming blaze, reminding readers that unchecked fury and mass violence rapidly erase restraint and deepen adharma-like suffering on the battlefield.
Sañjaya describes the warrior Nīla attacking the Kaurava forces with overwhelming force. His arrows are compared to sparks and his bow to flames, as he ‘burns’ through the Kuru ranks like fire sweeping through dry grass.