Shloka 22
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
तृणप्रायं ज्वलनेनेव दग्धं ग्रामं यथा धार्तराष्ट्रानू समीक्ष्य । पकक्वं सस्य॑ वैद्युतेनेव दग्धं परासिक्तं विपुलं स्वं बलौघम्
sañjaya uvāca | tṛṇaprāyaṃ jvalanen eva dagdhaṃ grāmaṃ yathā dhārtarāṣṭrānū samīkṣya | pakvaṃ sasyaṃ vaidyuten eva dagdhaṃ parāsiktaṃ vipulaṃ svaṃ balaugham |
Sañjaya berkata: “Apabila Duryodhana menyaksikan putera-putera Dhṛtarāṣṭra hangus dibakar oleh api murka Bhīmasena, laksana sebuah kampung pondok jerami dijilat api; dan melihat bala tenteranya yang besar bertaburan serta musnah seperti padi masak yang disambar kilat—wira-wira utamanya gugur, para askar berpaling belakang dan lari dari medan kerana gentar, keberanian dan keangkuhan lenyap, segala-galanya menjadi abu oleh nyala senjata Bhīma—maka pada saat itu dia akan menyesal sedalam-dalamnya kerana memilih perang.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of choosing war: pride and obstinacy lead to catastrophic loss, and only after witnessing ruin does the wrongdoer awaken to remorse. It warns that adharma-driven decisions bring predictable consequences—fear, collapse of morale, and irreversible destruction.
Sañjaya describes, in vivid similes, the future scene of Duryodhana seeing the Kauravas burned down by Bhīma’s fury and his own vast army scattered and destroyed like a ripe crop struck by lightning. The point is to foreshadow Duryodhana’s eventual regret for initiating and persisting in the conflict.