Shloka 38
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
अहमग्नि: कुरुश्रेष्ठा मया दग्धं॑ च खाण्डवम् | अर्जुनस्य प्रभावेण तथा नारायणस्य च,“कुरुश्रेष्ठ वीरो! मैं अग्नि हूँ। मैंने ही अर्जुन तथा नारायणस्वरूप भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके प्रभावसे खाण्डव-वनको जलाया था
aham agniḥ kuruśreṣṭhā mayā dagdhaṃ ca khāṇḍavam | arjunasya prabhāveṇa tathā nārāyaṇasya ca |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O best of the Kurus, I am Agni. It was I who burned the Khāṇḍava forest—made possible by the might of Arjuna and by the divine power of Nārāyaṇa (Śrī Kṛṣṇa).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights layered causality: Agni claims the act, yet credits its success to Arjuna’s prowess and Nārāyaṇa’s divine power—suggesting that great outcomes arise when personal effort aligns with higher order and rightful support.
A speaker identifies himself as Agni and recalls the earlier burning of the Khāṇḍava forest, attributing that event to the combined efficacy of Arjuna and Nārāyaṇa (Kṛṣṇa), thereby linking the present scene to a well-known past episode.