Shloka 32
शैनेयचरितम्
The Exploits of Śaineya/Sātyaki amid Encirclement
तथैव पार्षतेनापि काल्यमानं बलं तव । अभवत् सर्वतो दीप्तं शुष्क वनमिवाग्निना,इसी प्रकार धृष्टद्युम्नके द्वारा खदेड़ी जाती हुई आपकी सेना भी सब ओरसे आग लग जानेके कारण प्रज्वलित हुए सूखे वनकी भाँति दग्ध हो रही थी
tathaiva pārṣatenāpi kālyamānaṃ balaṃ tava | abhavat sarvato dīptaṃ śuṣka-vanam ivāgninā ||
Sañjaya said: “In the same way, your army too, being relentlessly harried by the son of Pṛṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna), appeared to blaze on every side—like a dry forest set alight by fire—consumed amid the moral and physical devastation of war.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the catastrophic momentum of adharma-driven conflict: once violence spreads through an army and its morale collapses, destruction becomes all-consuming—like fire in a dry forest—warning of the ethical and practical consequences of war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛṣṭadyumna is forcefully pressing the Kaurava troops, and the Kaurava host appears to be burning on all sides, compared to a dry forest engulfed by fire—an image of rout, panic, and widespread slaughter.