Shloka 36
Adhyāya 21 — Duryodhanasya bāṇavarṣaḥ
Duryodhana’s Arrow-Storm and the Dust-Obscured Engagements
यथा यज्ञे महानन्निर्मन्त्रपूत: प्रकाशवान् | तथा दुर्योधनो राजा संग्रामे सर्वतो5भवत्,जैसे यज्ञमें मन्त्रोंद्वारा पवित्र हुए महान् अग्निदेव प्रकाशित होते हैं, उसी प्रकार संग्राममें राजा दुर्योधन सब ओरसे देदीप्यमान हो रहा था
yathā yajñe mahān agnir mantra-pūtaḥ prakāśavān | tathā duryodhano rājā saṅgrāme sarvato 'bhavat ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “Kung paanong sa handog na yajña, ang dakilang apoy—na nilinis ng mga banal na mantra—ay kumikislap sa ningning, gayon din sa labanan, ang Haring Duryodhana ay naglalagablab at kumikinang sa lahat ng panig.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a ritual simile to show that visible brilliance and power (tejas) can appear ‘sanctified’ like sacrificial fire; it invites reflection on the difference between outward splendor in war and the deeper ethical evaluation of one’s cause and conduct.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, amid the fighting, appeared dazzling on all sides—his presence in battle compared to the radiant sacrificial fire purified by mantras.