Shloka 18
अर्जुन-माहात्म्य-चिन्ता
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Arjuna’s Strategic Supremacy
यथा कक्ष महानग्नि: प्रदहेत् सर्वतश्नरन् । हि 5. 2:08 धक्ष्यति मामकान्,जैसे वायुके बढ़ी हुई आग सब ओर फैलकर प्रचण्ड लपटोंसे युक्त हो घास-फ़ूस अथवा जंगलको जलाकर भस्म कर देती है, उसी प्रकार अर्जुन मेरे पुत्रोंको दग्ध कर डालेंगे
yathā kakṣaḥ mahāgniḥ pradahyeta sarvataś caran | tathā dhakṣyati māmākān arjunaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Just as a great wildfire, moving everywhere, burns up dry grass and thickets on all sides, so will Arjuna burn my sons to ashes.” In this image of an uncontrollable blaze, the blind king voices fearful foreknowledge: when adharma ripens into war, even royal power cannot shield those who have chosen injustice from the consuming consequences of their deeds.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores karmic and ethical inevitability: when rulers tolerate or enable adharma, the resulting conflict becomes like a wildfire—spreading beyond control and consuming those who fueled it. Power and attachment cannot ultimately protect wrongdoers from the consequences of injustice.
In Udyoga Parva, as war approaches, Dhṛtarāṣṭra expresses dread that Arjuna’s prowess will devastate his side. He uses the image of a roaming conflagration that burns dry brush on all sides to convey the scale and inevitability of the coming destruction of his sons.