Shloka 18
योधाश्व सर्वे ज्वलिताम्बरा भूृशं प्रदुद्रवुस्तत्र विदग्धवस्त्रा: । शब्दश्न घोरोडतिबभूव तत्र यथा वने वेणुवनस्य दहुत:
sañjaya uvāca |
yodhāśvāḥ sarve jvalitāmbarā bhṛśaṃ pradudruvus tatra vidagdhavastrāḥ |
śabdaś ca ghoro ’tibabhūva tatra yathā vane veṇuvanasyā dahyataḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Di sana, semua pahlawan dan kuda—pakaian mereka menyala dan kain mereka hangus—berlari lintang-pukang dalam kekacauan. Riuh yang menggerunkan pun bangkit di tempat itu, seperti deru dalam rimba apabila belukar buluh sedang terbakar.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the dehumanizing momentum of war: when violence escalates, even trained warriors and their mounts are driven by panic, and the battlefield becomes like an uncontrollable fire—suggesting an ethical warning about how adharma and unchecked aggression dissolve discipline and compassion.
Sañjaya describes a moment of intense battlefield turmoil: warriors and horses, with garments aflame and clothes scorched, rush about and flee; the noise becomes terrifying, compared to the roar of a bamboo-grove burning in a forest.