Shloka 17
Śikhaṇḍinī’s Disclosure, Drupada’s Counsel, and the Petition to Yakṣa Sthūṇākarṇa
Udyoga Parva 192
स्थविरो5स्मि महाबाहो मन्दप्राणविचेष्टित: । शस्त्राग्निना निर्दहेयं पाण्डवानामनीकिनीम्
sthaviro 'smi mahābāho mandaprāṇaviceṣṭitaḥ | śastrāgninā nirdahēyaṁ pāṇḍavānām anīkinīm ||
“Hỡi bậc đại lực nơi cánh tay! Ta đã già, sinh lực và sự vận động đều suy yếu. Nhưng với ngọn lửa của binh khí, ta sẽ thiêu rụi đạo quân Pāṇḍava.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the psychological momentum toward war: even when physical capacity declines, anger, pride, and the warrior’s self-image can fuel destructive intent. It implicitly warns that ethical judgment (dharma) can be eclipsed by the intoxicating resolve to annihilate an enemy.
In the Udyoga Parva’s war-preparations context, a speaker (introduced as “Sañjaya said”) voices a fierce intention to destroy the Pāṇḍavas’ forces, using the metaphor of ‘weapon-fire’ to describe total devastation, despite admitting old age and weakened vitality.