Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ
Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements
यथा यज्ञे महानन्निर्मन्त्रपूत: प्रकाशवान् | तथा दुर्योधनो राजा संग्रामे सर्वतो5भवत्,जैसे यज्ञमें मन्त्रोंद्वारा पवित्र हुए महान् अग्निदेव प्रकाशित होते हैं, उसी प्रकार संग्राममें राजा दुर्योधन सब ओरसे देदीप्यमान हो रहा था
yathā yajñe mahān agnir mantra-pūtaḥ prakāśavān | tathā duryodhano rājā saṅgrāme sarvato 'bhavat ||
サンジャヤは言った。「祭祀において、聖なるマントラによって清められた大いなる火が燦然と輝き出るように、戦場においてもドゥルヨーダナ王は四方にわたり赫々と燃え立っていた。」
संजय उवाच
The verse uses a ritual simile to show that visible brilliance and power (tejas) can appear ‘sanctified’ like sacrificial fire; it invites reflection on the difference between outward splendor in war and the deeper ethical evaluation of one’s cause and conduct.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, amid the fighting, appeared dazzling on all sides—his presence in battle compared to the radiant sacrificial fire purified by mantras.