Shloka 22
तृणप्रायं ज्वलनेनेव दग्धं ग्रामं यथा धार्तराष्ट्रानू समीक्ष्य । पकक्वं सस्य॑ वैद्युतेनेव दग्धं परासिक्तं विपुलं स्वं बलौघम्,जब दुर्योधन यह देखेगा कि जैसे घास-फ़ूसके झोपड़ोंका गाँव आगसे जलकर खाक हो जाता है, उसी प्रकार धृतराष्ट्रके अन्य सभी पुत्र भीमसेनकी क्रोधाग्निसे दग्ध हो गये, मेरी विशाल वाहिनी बिजलीकी आगसे जली हुई पकी खेतीके समान नष्ट हो गयी, उसके मुख्य- मुख्य वीर मारे गये, सैनिकोंने पीठ दिखा दी, सभी भयसे पीड़ित हो रणभूमिसे भाग निकले, प्रायः समस्त योद्धा साहस अथवा धृष्टता खो बैठे तथा भीमसेनके अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी आगसे सब कुछ स्वाहा हो गया; उस समय उसे युद्धके लिये बड़ा पछतावा होगा
sañjaya uvāca | tṛṇaprāyaṃ jvalanen eva dagdhaṃ grāmaṃ yathā dhārtarāṣṭrānū samīkṣya | pakvaṃ sasyaṃ vaidyuten eva dagdhaṃ parāsiktaṃ vipulaṃ svaṃ balaugham |
Sañjaya said: “When Duryodhana beholds the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra burned down by Bhīmasena’s wrath like a village of straw-huts consumed by fire, and sees his own vast host scattered and ruined like ripened grain scorched by lightning—its foremost heroes slain, soldiers turning their backs and fleeing the field in terror, courage and audacity drained away, everything reduced to ashes by the blaze of Bhīma’s weapons—then he will feel deep remorse for having chosen war.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of choosing war: pride and obstinacy lead to catastrophic loss, and only after witnessing ruin does the wrongdoer awaken to remorse. It warns that adharma-driven decisions bring predictable consequences—fear, collapse of morale, and irreversible destruction.
Sañjaya describes, in vivid similes, the future scene of Duryodhana seeing the Kauravas burned down by Bhīma’s fury and his own vast army scattered and destroyed like a ripe crop struck by lightning. The point is to foreshadow Duryodhana’s eventual regret for initiating and persisting in the conflict.