Shloka 37
शरप्रतापैर्बीभत्सु: पतज्ानिव पावक: । राजेन्द्र! उस रणक्षेत्रमें कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुन अप्रतिम तेजस्वी वीर थे और पूर्वोक्त नरेश उनके सामने पतंगोंके समान दौड़े चले आ रहे थे। महाराज! महाबली धनंजयने दिव्यास्त्रोंका चिन्तन करके उनका धनुषपर संधान किया और उन महावेगशाली अस्त्रोंद्वारा सेनासहित इन समस्त महारथियोंको जलाकर भस्म कर डाला। जैसे आग पतंगोंको जलाती है
sañjaya uvāca | śara-pratāpair bībhatsuḥ pataṅgān iva pāvakaḥ | rājendra, asmin raṇa-kṣetre kuntī-kumāro 'rjunaḥ apratima-tejasvī vīra āsīt, pūrvoktāś ca nṛpāḥ tasya sammukhe pataṅgavat dhāvantaḥ samāyānti sma | mahā-rāja, mahā-balī dhanañjayaḥ divyāstrāṇāṃ cintanaṃ kṛtvā tāni dhanuṣi saṃdadhau, tair mahā-vegaśālībhir astrair etān sarvān mahā-rathān sa-senān dagdhvā bhasma-sāt cakāra | yathā agniḥ pataṅgān dahati, tathā arjunaḥ sva-bāṇa-pratāpena tān sarvān dagdhavān ||
三阇耶说道：“凭借箭矢之威，毗婆蹉（阿周那）宛如烈火，吞噬投焰之蛾。大王啊，在那战场上，昆蒂之子阿周那以无比光辉立为英雄，而前述诸王则如飞蛾趋火般奔向他。随后，力大无穷的檀那阇耶心念天界神兵，将其扣于弓上，以那疾猛无伦的神武焚烧诸大车战勇士及其军阵，使之化为灰烬。正如烈火灼尽飞蛾，阿周那亦以箭威灼尽众敌。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the overwhelming, almost elemental force of divinely empowered martial skill when aligned with a warrior’s duty: those who rush in blindly, like moths to flame, meet inevitable destruction. It also highlights the Mahabharata’s ethical tension—power and victory are real, yet they carry the gravity of mass suffering on the battlefield.
Sanjaya describes Arjuna’s dominance in battle: kings and great chariot-warriors charge toward him, but Arjuna invokes divine missiles, sets them upon his bow, and annihilates the attacking warriors along with their troops, likening their fate to moths being burned by fire.