Shloka 7
ते हन्यमाना: समरे नाजहु: पाण्डवं रणे । हन्यमाना महाराज शलभा इव पावकम्,जैसे पतंगे जलते रहनेपर भी आगमें टूटे पड़ते हैं, उसी प्रकार रणभूमिमें मारे जानेपर भी वे समस्त योद्धा युद्धमें पाण्डुकुमार अर्जुनको छोड़कर भाग न सके
te hanyamānāḥ samare nājahuḥ pāṇḍavaṃ raṇe | hanyamānā mahārāja śalabhā iva pāvakam ||
Sañjaya said: Though they were being struck down in the battle, they did not abandon the son of Pāṇḍu (Arjuna) on the field. O King, even while being slain, they rushed upon him like moths that, though burning, still plunge into the fire—an image of relentless, self-consuming fury in war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, intense resolve and rage can drive fighters to persist even when it is clearly self-destructive—like moths drawn to flame. It implicitly warns that courage without discernment can become ruinous.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the warriors facing Arjuna did not retreat from him even as they were being killed; instead, they continued to press the attack, compared to moths repeatedly rushing into fire.