Shloka 18
अर्जुन-माहात्म्य-चिन्ता
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Arjuna’s Strategic Supremacy
यथा कक्ष महानग्नि: प्रदहेत् सर्वतश्नरन् । हि 5. 2:08 धक्ष्यति मामकान्
yathā kakṣaḥ mahāgniḥ pradahyeta sarvataś caran | tathā dhakṣyati māmākān arjunaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra dit : «De même qu’un grand incendie de forêt, se propageant en tous sens, brûle l’herbe sèche et les fourrés de toutes parts, ainsi Arjuna réduira mes fils en cendres.» Dans cette image d’un brasier incontrôlable, le roi aveugle laisse éclater une prescience terrifiée : lorsque l’adharma mûrit en guerre, même la puissance royale ne peut protéger ceux qui ont choisi l’injustice des conséquences consumantes de leurs propres actes.
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.