Shloka 13
Śāṇḍilī–Suparṇa Saṃvāda
Conduct, Intention, and Restoration
शरीरं तु न पश्यामि तव चैवात्मनश्व ह । पदे पदे तु पश्यामि शरीरादग्निमुत्थितम्,मैं न तो तुम्हारे शरीरको देखता हूँ और न अपने शरीरको। मुझे पग-पगपर तुम्हारे अंगोंसे आगकी लपटें उठती दिखायी देती हैं
śarīraṃ tu na paśyāmi tava caivātmanaś ca ha | pade pade tu paśyāmi śarīrād agnim utthitam ||
Gālava said: “I do not perceive your body—nor even my own. At every step I see flames rising up from your limbs, as though fire has sprung forth from your very frame.”
गालव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys a moral-psychological warning: when adharma and violent intent intensify, perception itself becomes filled with fearful signs. The ‘flames’ symbolize inner heat—wrath, destructive resolve, or the consuming consequences of wrongdoing—urging restraint and a return to dharma before catastrophe becomes inevitable.
Gālava reports an alarming vision: he cannot clearly perceive ordinary bodily form and instead sees fire rising from the other person’s limbs at every step. This functions as a portent-like description, heightening the sense of danger and signaling an atmosphere charged with impending ruin.