Shloka 16

Devanagari script

शरातुरास्तथैवान्ये दन्तिनो विद्रुता दिश:

Transliteration

śarāturās tathaivānye dantino vidrutā diśaḥ | agnir yathendhanaṃ prāpya dīpyate jvalitārcibhiḥ | tathā pāṇḍava-senāṃ sa dagdhvā tejasā tava sutaḥ duḥśāsanaḥ prajvalita iva babhūva ||

Translation

ସଞ୍ଜୟ କହିଲେ—ଶରବେଦନାରେ ଆତୁର ହୋଇ ଅନ୍ୟ ଅନେକ ଦନ୍ତୀ ହାତୀ ମଧ୍ୟ ଚାରି ଦିଗକୁ ପଳାଇଗଲେ। ଏବଂ ଯେପରି ଇନ୍ଧନ ପାଇଲେ ଅଗ୍ନି ଦୀପ୍ତ ଜ୍ୱାଳା ସହ ଉଗ୍ର ବେଗରେ ଜ୍ୱଳିଉଠେ, ସେପରି ପାଣ୍ଡବସେନାକୁ ଦହନ କରୁଥିବା ତୁମ ପୁତ୍ର ଦୁଃଶାସନ ନିଜ ତେଜରେ ପ୍ରଜ୍ୱଳିତ ହେଉଥିଲା।

Word by Word

• शरातुराः: distressed by arrows
• शरातुराः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शर-आतुर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तथा: thus/so
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दन्तिनः: tusked ones (elephants)
• दन्तिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्तिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• विद्रुताः: fled/ran away
• विद्रुताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-द्रुत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past passive participle (क्त)

• दिशः: directions (to all quarters)
• दिशः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duḥśāsana
• Pāṇḍava army
• elephants
• arrows
• fire
• fuel
• directions (quarters)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses the fire-and-fuel simile to show how martial energy (tejas) can rapidly intensify when fed by aggression, becoming destructive and indiscriminate. Implicitly, it points to the ethical need for restraint and dharmic intention in warfare, lest prowess turn into a consuming blaze.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that elephants, pained by arrow-strikes, are scattering in all directions. In the same breath he depicts Duḥśāsana as surging forward like a fire newly fed with fuel, scorching the Pāṇḍava forces with heightened ferocity.