Shloka 17
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
ज्वालामालापरिक्षिप्तो राज्ञो देहो व्यदृश्यत । युगान्ते दग्धुकामस्य संवर्ताग्नेरिवापर:
jvālāmālā-parikṣipto rājño deho vyadṛśyata | yugānte dagdhukāmasya saṃvartāgner ivāparaḥ ||
தீச்சுடர் மாலையால் சூழப்பட்ட அரசனின் உடல், யுகாந்தத்தில் உலகைச் சுட்டெரிக்க விரும்பும் சம்வர்த்தக அக்கினியின் இன்னொரு வடிவம் போலத் தோன்றியது।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses yugānta (end-of-age) fire as a simile to convey how, in the extremity of war, a ruler’s presence can become terrifyingly destructive. It cautions that even a king associated with dharma may appear as an agent of cosmic-scale ruin when conflict reaches its peak.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a battlefield vision: the king’s body is seen ringed by flames, and he looks like a second Saṃvartaka fire. The narration heightens the scene’s intensity and signals a moment of overwhelming martial energy and impending devastation.