Shloka 17

Devanagari script

स्थविरो5स्मि महाबाहो मन्दप्राणविचेष्टित: । शस्त्राग्निना निर्दहेयं पाण्डवानामनीकिनीम्‌

Transliteration

sthaviro 'smi mahābāho mandaprāṇaviceṣṭitaḥ | śastrāgninā nirdahēyaṁ pāṇḍavānām anīkinīm ||

Translation

“ହେ ମହାବାହୋ! ମୁଁ ବୃଦ୍ଧ; ମୋର ପ୍ରାଣଶକ୍ତି ଓ ଚେଷ୍ଟା ମନ୍ଦ ହୋଇଯାଇଛି। ତଥାପି ଶସ୍ତ୍ରାଗ୍ନିରେ ମୁଁ ପାଣ୍ଡବମାନଙ୍କ ସେନାକୁ ଦହିଦେବି।”

Word by Word

स्थविरःold, aged

अस्मिI am

महाबाहोO mighty-armed one

मन्दप्राणविचेष्टितःone whose movements are with weak breath/feeble vitality

शस्त्राग्निनाwith the fire of weapons

निर्दहेयम्I would burn up / I should burn

पाण्डवानाम्of the Pandavas

अनीकिनीम्army, host

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāṇḍavas

anīkinī (army)

śastra (weapons)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the psychological momentum toward war: even when physical capacity declines, anger, pride, and the warrior’s self-image can fuel destructive intent. It implicitly warns that ethical judgment (dharma) can be eclipsed by the intoxicating resolve to annihilate an enemy.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s war-preparations context, a speaker (introduced as “Sañjaya said”) voices a fierce intention to destroy the Pāṇḍavas’ forces, using the metaphor of ‘weapon-fire’ to describe total devastation, despite admitting old age and weakened vitality.