Shloka 134
विधम्य राक्षसान् बाणै: साथ्वसूरथद्विपान् । ददाह भगवान् वद्िर्भूतानीव युगक्षये,जैसे भगवान् अग्निदेव प्रलयकालमें सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंको दग्ध कर देते हैं, उसी प्रकार अश्वत्थामाने अपने बाणोंद्वारा घोड़े, सारथि, रथ और हाथियोंसहित बहुत-से राक्षसोंको जलाकर भस्म कर दिया
vidhamya rākṣasān bāṇaiḥ sāśvasāratharathadvipān | dadāha bhagavān vahnir bhūtānīva yugakṣaye ||
Sañjaya said: Having shattered the rākṣasas with his arrows—along with their horses, charioteers, chariots, and elephants—Aśvatthāmā burned them down to ashes, just as the divine Fire at the end of an age consumes all beings. The simile underscores the war’s dehumanizing extremity: martial prowess here appears as apocalyptic force, where destruction overwhelms ordinary limits of restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses cosmic-dissolution imagery to portray how unchecked martial fury can resemble apocalyptic destruction. Ethically, it highlights the collapse of ordinary restraint in war and invites reflection on the boundary between necessary combat and annihilative excess.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā overwhelms and destroys rākṣasa fighters with arrows, wiping out not only the warriors but also their war-assets—horses, charioteers, chariots, and elephants—likened to Agni consuming beings at the end of an age.