Shloka 17
भीष्मपातने कर्णविलापः | Karṇa’s Lament upon Seeing Bhīṣma Fallen
येन येन प्रसरतो वाय्वग्नी सहितौ वने
yena yena prasarato vāyvagnī sahitau vane
Sañjaya said: “Wherever the wind and fire spread together through the forest…” (He begins describing the swift, uncontrollable advance of destruction—an image that frames the battle’s violence as something that, once unleashed, moves beyond easy restraint and consumes whatever lies in its path.)
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse’s imagery suggests that when destructive forces combine—like wind feeding fire—the resulting harm spreads rapidly and indiscriminately. Ethically, it cautions that violence, once set in motion, can exceed intention and become difficult to contain.
Sañjaya is beginning a simile-based description of events in the battle, comparing the onward surge of devastation to wind and fire moving together through a forest, emphasizing speed, reach, and uncontrollable spread.