Shloka 2636
कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः
Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory
सविस्फुलिड्ो दीप्तार्चियों<दहद् वाहिनीद्वयम् । भरतनन्दन! वहाँ बाणोंके परस्पर टकरानेसे चिनगारियों तथा प्रज्वलित लपटोंके साथ आग प्रकट हो गयी, जो दोनों सेनाओंको दग्ध किये देती थी
sa-visphuliṅgo dīptārciryo 'dahad vāhinī-dvayam | bharata-nandana! tatra bāṇānāṁ paraspara-ṭakkarāṇāt cinagāribhiḥ prajvalita-lapaṭābhiś ca saha agnir āvirabhavat, yaḥ ubhayīṁ senām dagdhum iva pravavṛte |
Sanjaya said: O joy of the Bharatas, there the clash of arrows against one another brought forth fire—alive with sparks and blazing tongues of flame—so that it seemed to scorch both armies. The scene portrays how unrestrained violence multiplies itself: weapons collide, and from their very contact arises a consuming force that threatens all sides alike, erasing any easy distinction between victor and vanquished.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the self-escalating nature of violence: when weapons meet, destruction expands beyond intention, harming both sides. Ethically, it warns that adharma-driven conflict generates indiscriminate suffering, making the battlefield a place where consequences consume friend and foe alike.
Sanjaya describes an intense moment in the Kurukṣetra war where arrows collide midair. From their impact arise sparks and flames, as if fire itself has manifested on the field, seemingly burning through both armies.