Shloka 17

Devanagari script

यथाग्निरिन्धन प्राप्य ज्वलेद्‌ दीप्तार्चिरुल्बणम्‌ | तथा जज्वाल पुत्रस्ते पाण्डुसेनां विनिर्दहन्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | yathāgnir indhanaṁ prāpya jvaled dīptārcir ulbaṇam | tathā jajvāla putras te pāṇḍu-senāṁ vinirdahan |

Translation

三阇耶说道：“如烈火得薪，吐焰腾起，势若狂澜；你的儿子杜沙萨那亦以武威炽然，灼烧般度军。被他的箭矢逼迫，许多驭象者也向四方逃散。”

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• अग्निः: fire
• अग्निः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इन्धनम्: fuel
• इन्धनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्धन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप्
• Form: Lyap (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• ज्वलेत्: would blaze / blazes
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्वल्
• Form: Vidhi-linga (optative), Present-system, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• दीप्त: blazing
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीप्त
• Form: Kta (past passive participle), Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अर्चिः: flame
• अर्चिः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्चिस्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• उल्बणम्: fierce, intense
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उल्बण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: so, in the same way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• जज्वाल: blazed
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्वल्
• Form: Lit (perfect), Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ते: your
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• पाण्डु: of Pāṇḍu
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सेनाम्: army
• सेनाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• विनिर्दहन्: burning up, scorching
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + निर् + दह्
• Form: Shatr (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'your')
• Duhśāsana
• Pāṇḍava army
• Elephants
• Elephant-drivers (dantāra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how unchecked martial fury, once fed by circumstances (like fire by fuel), rapidly intensifies and brings widespread harm—an implicit warning about the destructive momentum of anger and violence in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duhśāsana, empowered and aggressive, is driving the Pāṇḍava forces into distress; even elephant units and their drivers scatter, as he ‘burns’ the enemy host like a fire blazing after finding fuel.