Shloka 117
तापन॑ सर्वसैन्यानां घोररूपं सुदारुणम् । समावृत्य महासेनां ज्वलन्तं स्वेन तेजसा
tāpayan sarva-sainyānāṃ ghora-rūpaṃ sudāruṇam | samāvṛtya mahāsenāṃ jvalantaṃ svena tejasā ||
Sañjaya disse: “Aquela arma de Bhārgava — terrível em sua forma e ferozmente destrutiva — espalhou-se sobre o vasto exército dos Pāṇḍavas. Ardendo com o próprio fulgor, ela abrasa toda a hoste e aflige todos os soldados com um calor incandescente.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the terrifying, impersonal power of astras: once unleashed, they can engulf entire hosts and cause indiscriminate suffering. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern about proportionality and restraint in warfare—power must be governed by dharma, or it becomes sheer devastation.
Sañjaya describes a Bhārgava weapon being deployed in the battle. It spreads over the Pāṇḍava forces like a blazing cover, radiating its own fiery energy and scorching the soldiers throughout the army.