Shloka 41
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
पर्वते वनमध्यस्थो ज्वलन्निव हुताशन: । जैसे वनके भीतर पर्वतके शिखरपर दावानल प्रज्वलित हो रहा हो, उसी प्रकार सब ओर रथियोंसे घिरकर हाथीकी पीठपर बैठे हुए राजा भगदत्त सुशोभित हो रहे थे || ४० ३ || मण्डंल सर्वतः श्लिष्टं रथिनामुग्रधन्विनाम्
parvate vanamadhyastho jvalann iva hutāśanaḥ | maṇḍalaṃ sarvataḥ śliṣṭaṃ rathinām ugradhanvinām ||
पर्वते वनमध्यस्थो ज्वलन्निव हुताशनः । मण्डलं सर्वतः श्लिष्टं रथिनामुग्रधन्विनाम् ॥ तेनावृतो महाबाहुर्भगदत्तो महाबलः । कुञ्जरस्थः शुशुभे दीप्तो दावाग्निरिव पर्वते ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war magnifies both splendor and peril: martial brilliance can appear awe-inspiring like fire, yet that very radiance signals destruction. It invites ethical reflection on the seductive spectacle of violence and the ominous cost that accompanies it.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where fierce chariot-warriors form a tight encircling ring. Within this press, King Bhagadatta—mounted on an elephant—stands out vividly, compared to a blazing fire on a forested mountain.