Shloka 186
तथा तव महासैन्यं प्रास्फुरच्छरपीडितम् । जैसे रात्रिकालमें किसी महान् पर्वतपर बाँसोंका वन जल रहा हो, उसी प्रकार अर्जुनके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हुई आपकी विशाल सेना आगकी लपटोंसे घिरी हुई-सी प्रतीत हो रही थी
tathā tava mahāsainyaṁ prāsphuraccharapīḍitam |
Sañjaya said: “And so your vast host, struck and tormented by Arjuna’s arrows, seemed to blaze and quiver—like a great mountain at night with a bamboo-forest burning upon it.” The image underscores the moral weight of war: when adharma-driven ambition persists, even a mighty army can appear helpless before disciplined valor and righteous resolve.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of sheer numbers and pride in war: a vast force, when morally and strategically outmatched, can appear as vulnerable as a fire-engulfed landscape. It implicitly warns that power without dharmic grounding and disciplined leadership collapses under sustained righteous prowess.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava host is being intensely struck by Arjuna’s arrows. The army’s agitation and apparent ‘burning’ are conveyed through a vivid simile: like a bamboo forest on a mountain blazing at night.