Shloka 31
Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)
तेन प्रदीप्तेन तथा प्रदीप्तं बल॑ तवासीदू बलवद् बलेन
tena pradīptena tathā pradīptaṃ balaṃ tavāsīd balavad balena
Sañjaya berkata: Oleh daya yang menyala-nyala itu, bala tentaramu pun seakan terbakar; ditundukkan oleh kekuatan yang amat perkasa, ia luluh dan menyala oleh gentar.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how sheer intensity of force can spread like fire: when power is wielded with overwhelming momentum, it can ignite disorder and defeat in an opposing force. Ethically, it points to the destructive contagion of violence—strength in war often escalates suffering rather than restoring dharma.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a blazing, overpowering force on the battlefield caused the Kaurava host (‘your army’) to become ‘inflamed’—i.e., thrown into turmoil, routed, or consumed by the opponent’s fierce onslaught.