Shloka 36
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 ||
जसा यज्ञात मंत्रांनी पवित्र झालेला महान अग्निदेव तेजाने उजळून निघतो, तसाच संग्रामात राजा दुर्योधन सर्व बाजूंनी देदीप्यमान झाला होता।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.