Shloka 24
ददाह कुज्जरांस्तत्र सिंहांश्नैव विनिर्गतान् । विगतासूनि सर्वाणि सत्त्वानि विविधानि च,उस दावानलने पर्वतीय गजराजों, गुफाओंसे निकले हुए सिंहों तथा अन्यान्य सहस्रों जन्तुओंको जलाकर भस्म कर दिया। उस पर्वतपर जो नाना प्रकारके जीव रहते थे, वे सब अपने प्राणोंसे हाथ धो बैठे
dadāha kuñjarāṁs tatra siṁhāṁś caiva vinirgatān | vigatāsūni sarvāṇi sattvāni vividhāni ca ||
Śaunaka said: There, the raging forest-fire burned the mountain elephants, the lions that had come out of their caves, and countless other kinds of creatures. On that mountain, all the diverse beings that dwelt there were deprived of life—an image of indiscriminate destruction that underscores how uncontrolled violence consumes the innocent along with the guilty.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical reality that uncontrolled destructive forces—whether literal fire or metaphorical violence—do not discriminate; they annihilate many innocent lives, reminding the listener of the grave consequences of harm and the karmic weight of widespread suffering.
Śaunaka describes a devastating forest-fire on a mountain that burns elephants, lions emerging from caves, and many other creatures, leaving all the diverse beings there lifeless.