Shloka 117
तापन॑ सर्वसैन्यानां घोररूपं सुदारुणम् । समावृत्य महासेनां ज्वलन्तं स्वेन तेजसा
tāpayan sarva-sainyānāṃ ghora-rūpaṃ sudāruṇam | samāvṛtya mahāsenāṃ jvalantaṃ svena tejasā ||
Sañjaya dijo: «Esa arma de Bhārgava—terrible en su forma y ferozmente destructora—se ha extendido sobre la vasta hueste de los Pāṇḍava. Ardiendo con su propio resplandor, abrasa al ejército entero y aflige a todos los soldados con un calor abrasador.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the terrifying, impersonal power of astras: once unleashed, they can engulf entire hosts and cause indiscriminate suffering. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern about proportionality and restraint in warfare—power must be governed by dharma, or it becomes sheer devastation.
Sañjaya describes a Bhārgava weapon being deployed in the battle. It spreads over the Pāṇḍava forces like a blazing cover, radiating its own fiery energy and scorching the soldiers throughout the army.