Shloka 44
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
गन्धसत्रगग्रयासनपान भो ज नै- रभ्यर्चितां पाण्डुसुतै: प्रयत्नात् । सांवर्तकाग्निप्रतिमां ज्वलन्तीं कृत्यामथर्वाज्धिरसीमिवोग्राम्
gandha-srag-agrayāsana-pāna-bhojanair abhyarcitāṃ pāṇḍusutaiḥ prayatnāt | sāṃvartakāgni-pratimāṃ jvalantīṃ kṛtyām atharvāṅgirasaḥ-sīm ivogrām ||
संजय म्हणाला—पांडुपुत्रांनी चंदनादि सुगंध, माळा, उत्तम आसन, पेय व भोजन अर्पून सतत प्रयत्नपूर्वक तिची पूजा केली. ती प्रलयकाळच्या संवर्तक अग्नीसारखी ज्वलंत आणि अथर्वाङ्गिरस मंत्रांनी प्रकट झालेल्या कृत्येसारखी अत्यंत भयंकर भासत होती.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the awe and danger associated with Atharvavedic-style ritual power: when invoked and sustained through offerings and worship, such a force can become intensely formidable—raising ethical questions about the use of extraordinary means within the pressures of war.
Sañjaya describes how the Pāṇḍavas diligently honored a fierce, blazing power—likened to the cosmic Saṃvartaka fire and to an Atharvavedically produced kṛtyā—by making continuous offerings (fragrance, garlands, seats, drinks, and food), emphasizing its terrifying potency.