Shloka 24
द्रोणेन सात्यकिपीडनम् — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Charge to Sātyaki amid Droṇa’s Onslaught
अहं च तत् करिष्यामि यथा कुन्तीसुतो<र्जुन: । धार्तराष्ट्रस्य सैन्यानि धक्ष्यत्यग्निरिवेन्धनम्,मैं भी वही करूँगा, जिससे कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुन दुर्योधनकी सारी सेनाओंको उसी प्रकार जला डालेंगे, जैसे आग ईंधनको जलाती है
ahaṃ ca tat kariṣyāmi yathā kuntīsuto 'rjunaḥ | dhārtarāṣṭrasya sainyāni dhakṣyaty agnir ivendhanam ||
Vāyu-deva said: “I too shall act in such a way that Arjuna, the son of Kuntī, will burn the armies of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s line—just as fire consumes fuel.” In the ethical frame of the war, this declares divine support for a decisive outcome: power is pledged not for personal gain, but to bring the conflict to its fated resolution by overwhelming adharma-aligned forces.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that when a conflict reaches a dharmic tipping point, higher powers may align with the agent of rightful action to ensure the inevitable outcome—here symbolized by fire consuming fuel—underscoring the idea that adharma, once exposed, becomes self-consuming.
Vāyu-deva declares his intention to assist so that Arjuna will devastate the Kaurava forces. The simile of fire and fuel conveys the scale and inevitability of the destruction of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s armies.