Shloka 183
दुःशासनवधः (Duḥśāsana-vadha) — Bhīma’s vow-fulfillment in combat
संघर्षेण महाराज पावक: समजायत | महाराज! आकाशमें परस्पर टकराते हुए बाणसमूहोंकी रगड़से आग प्रकट हो जाती थी
saṅgharṣeṇa mahārāja pāvakaḥ samajāyata | mahārāja ākāśe parasparaṁ ṭakarāte hue bāṇasamūhānāṁ ragaḍase agniḥ prakaṭaḥ bhavati sma ||
Sanjaya said: O great king, from the sheer friction of the clash, fire itself was born. Indeed, O Mahārāja, as masses of arrows collided with one another in the sky, their grinding contact made flames appear—so fierce had the battle become that even the elements seemed to answer its violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how unchecked martial fury can become so intense that it seems to disturb the natural order itself; it implicitly warns that war magnifies destructive forces beyond human control, pressing the listener to reflect on responsibility and the ethical cost of conflict.
Sañjaya describes the battle’s ferocity to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: countless arrows collide midair, and their friction is poetically said to generate fire in the sky, emphasizing the density of missile-exchange and the terrifying intensity of the combat.