Shloka 186
तथा तव महासैन्यं प्रास्फुरच्छरपीडितम् । जैसे रात्रिकालमें किसी महान् पर्वतपर बाँसोंका वन जल रहा हो, उसी प्रकार अर्जुनके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हुई आपकी विशाल सेना आगकी लपटोंसे घिरी हुई-सी प्रतीत हो रही थी
tathā tava mahāsainyaṁ prāsphuraccharapīḍitam |
Wika ni Sanjaya: “Kaya nga, ang iyong napakalaking hukbo, tinamaan at pinahirapan ng mga palaso ni Arjuna, ay waring nagliliyab at nanginginig—gaya ng isang dambuhalang bundok sa gabi na may nasusunog na kagubatang kawayan sa ibabaw nito.” Ipinapakita ng larawang ito ang bigat na moral ng digmaan: kapag nagpapatuloy ang ambisyong itinutulak ng adharma, kahit ang makapangyarihang hukbo ay maaaring magmukhang walang magawa sa harap ng disiplinadong tapang at matuwid na paninindigan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of sheer numbers and pride in war: a vast force, when morally and strategically outmatched, can appear as vulnerable as a fire-engulfed landscape. It implicitly warns that power without dharmic grounding and disciplined leadership collapses under sustained righteous prowess.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava host is being intensely struck by Arjuna’s arrows. The army’s agitation and apparent ‘burning’ are conveyed through a vivid simile: like a bamboo forest on a mountain blazing at night.