खाण्डवदाहोत्तर-वरप्रदानम्
Boons after the Khāṇḍava Burning
शरीरैरपरे दीप्तैर्देहवन्त इवाग्नय: । अदृश्यन्त वने तत्र प्राणिन: प्राणिसंक्षये,प्राणियोंके संहारस्थल बने हुए उस वनमें कितने ही प्राणी अपने जलते हुए अंगोंसे मूर्तिमान् अग्निके समान दीख पड़ते थे
śarīrair apare dīptair dehavanta ivāgnayaḥ | adṛśyanta vane tatra prāṇinaḥ prāṇisaṃkṣaye ||
ในป่านั้นซึ่งกลายเป็นแดนสังหาร เหล่าสัตว์มากมายปรากฏกายด้วยเรือนร่างลุกไหม้ ราวกับเปลวไฟที่มีชีวิต
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of mass harm: when violence becomes indiscriminate, living beings are reduced to images of burning suffering, prompting reflection on compassion (dayā) and the adharma inherent in needless destruction.
The narrator describes a forest that has become a killing-ground; many animals and creatures are seen with their bodies on fire, so that they look like embodied flames moving amid the devastation.