Shloka 48
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय ८७: सात्यकेरनुयात्रा
Sātyaki’s resolve and departure to reach Arjuna
शून्यान् दृष्टवा रथोपस्थान् मन्ये शोचन्ति पुत्रका: । हिमात्यये यथा कक्ष शुष्क॑ वातेरितो महान्,बहुत-से रथोंकी बैठकोंको रथियोंसे शून्य देखकर मेरे पुत्र शोकमें डूब गये होंगे; ऐसा मेरा विश्वास है। जैसे ग्रीष्म-ऋतुमें वायुका सहारा पाकर बढ़ी हुई अग्नि सूखे घासको चला डालती है, उसी प्रकार अर्जुन मेरी सेनाको दग्ध कर डालेंगे। संजय! तुम कथा कहनेमें कुशल हो; अतः युद्धका सारा समाचार मुझसे कहो
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |
śūnyān dṛṣṭvā rathopasthān manye śocanti putrakāḥ |
himātyaye yathā kakṣaḥ śuṣko vāterito mahān ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Seeing many chariot-platforms left empty of their warriors, I believe my sons have sunk into grief. As, at the end of winter, a great fire—fanned by the wind—drives through dry grass, so too will Arjuna burn through my army. Sañjaya, you are skilled in narration; therefore tell me the full account of the battle.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment and anxiety distort a ruler’s mind: Dhṛtarāṣṭra interprets battlefield signs through fear for his sons, and the simile of wind-fed fire underscores the unstoppable momentum of a warrior’s prowess once conditions favor it. Ethically, it points to the consequences of partiality and the psychological cost of clinging to unjust outcomes.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of the battle, imagines the Kauravas’ distress upon seeing chariots left without their fighters. He anticipates Arjuna’s devastating advance, likening it to a great fire sweeping dry grass, and urges Sañjaya to recount the complete news of the war.