Shloka 23
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
सैन्यक्षयकरं चैव प्राणानां संशयावहम् । चक्रे तस्य हि साहाय्यं भगवान् हव्यवाहन:,शत्रुवीरोंका नाश करनेवाले पाण्डुपुत्र सहदेव बड़े प्रतापी थे। उनसे राजा नीलका जो महान् युद्ध हुआ, वह कायरोंको भयभीत करनेवाला, सेनाओंका विनाशक और प्राणोंको संशयमें डालनेवाला था। भगवान् अग्निदेव राजा नीलकी सहायता कर रहे थे
sainyakṣayakaraṃ caiva prāṇānāṃ saṃśayāvaham | cakre tasya hi sāhāyyaṃ bhagavān havyavāhanaḥ ||
Aquella batalla fue, en verdad, destructora de ejércitos y sembradora de duda sobre la vida misma. Pues en ese conflicto el bienaventurado Havyavāhana (Agni), dios del Fuego, le prestó ayuda.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare creates extreme uncertainty for life and can annihilate armies, while also showing that outcomes may be shaped by divine alignment—suggesting that human prowess alone does not fully determine results.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a fierce battle so dangerous that lives hang in doubt and armies are destroyed, and notes that Agni (Havyavāhana) is actively providing assistance to one side in that conflict.