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Shloka 196

Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)

रथानां सवरूथानां विधूमो5ग्निरिव ज्वलन्‌ । शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले पार्थ समरांगणमें आवरणसहित दो सहस्र रथोंका संहार करके धूमरहित प्रज्वलित अग्निके समान प्रकाशित हो रहे थे

rathānāṃ savarūthānāṃ vidhūmo ’gnir iva jvalan | śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-dena-vāle pārthaḥ samarāṅgaṇe āvaraṇa-sahitaṃ dve sahasre rathānāṃ saṃhāraṃ kṛtvā dhūma-rahita-prajvalitāgni-samānaḥ prakāśita babhūva |

三阇耶说道:在战车与其护卫阵列之间,帕尔塔——令敌人饱受灼痛之苦者——如无烟烈火般炽然。战场之上,他连同防御一并摧毁两千乘战车之后,光辉照耀,恰似明焰充盈而不生烟的火,成为不可抗拒的武威之可怖象征。

रथानाम्of chariots
रथानाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootरथ
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
सवरूथानाम्of those having coverings/defences (armoured/covered)
सवरूथानाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootस-वरूथ
FormMasculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural
विधूमःsmokeless
विधूमः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootवि-धूम
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अग्निःfire
अग्निः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअग्नि
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
इवlike/as
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
ज्वलन्blazing
ज्वलन्:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootज्वल्
Formशतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
P
Pārtha (Arjuna)
C
chariots (rathāḥ)
P
protective defenses/formations (varūtha/āvaraṇa)
F
fire (agni)
E
enemies (śatravaḥ)
B
battlefield (samarāṅgaṇa)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights the awe-inspiring force of a warrior acting in his kṣatriya role: Arjuna’s power is likened to a smokeless, blazing fire—purely manifest and overwhelming. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s tension between necessary martial duty in a just war and the terrible human cost expressed through images of burning torment for enemies.

Sañjaya reports that Arjuna (Pārtha) is shining on the battlefield after cutting down two thousand enemy chariots along with their protective coverings/defensive arrangements. The simile of a smokeless fire conveys both his visible radiance and the destructive intensity of his advance.