Shloka 16
उद्धरन्निव कायेभ्य: शिरांसि शरवृशिभि: । मुझे तो वीर धनंजय युद्धमें बाणोंको चलाते, योद्धाओंके प्राण लेते और अपनी बाणवर्षद्वारा उनके शरीरोंसे मस्तकोंको काटते हुए-से प्रतीत हो रहे हैं ।। अपि बाणमयं तेज: प्रदीप्तमिव सर्वतः
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | uddharann iva kāyebhyaḥ śirāṃsi śaravṛṣṭibhiḥ | api bāṇamayaṃ tejaḥ pradīptam iva sarvataḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra dijo: «Me parece como si arrancara cabezas de los cuerpos con lluvias de flechas; y ese fulgor ardiente, hecho de flechas, parece prenderse por todas partes.»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of war: extraordinary prowess (tejas) can appear as an all-consuming blaze, and a ruler’s attachment and anxiety distort perception. It implicitly warns that adharma-driven rivalry leads to catastrophic violence that even elders foresee with dread.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes a vivid, fearful image of Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) in battle—raining arrows, seemingly severing heads from bodies, and filling the field with a blazing radiance of weapon-power—reflecting the mounting inevitability and terror of the coming Kurukṣetra war.