Shloka 17
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
अर्जुनने संशप्तकोंके रथके त्रिवेणु
siddhadevarṣisaṅghāś ca cāraṇāś cāpi tuṣṭuvuḥ | devadundubhayo neduḥ puṣpavarṣāṇi cāpatam ||
Siddhas, gods, and hosts of seers, along with the Cāraṇas, praised him in delight. The divine kettledrums resounded, and showers of flowers fell from the heavens—an auspicious acclaim for Arjuna’s awe-inspiring prowess, even amid the grim ethics of war where valor is publicly affirmed yet destruction remains real.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic’s kṣatriya ethic: extraordinary courage and skill in a righteous battle are publicly affirmed through divine signs (drums and flower-showers). It also shows how the Mahābhārata frames martial excellence as accountable to a larger moral-cosmic order, not merely personal glory.
After Arjuna’s devastating dismantling of enemy chariots and forces (described in the surrounding prose), celestial beings—Siddhas, gods, seers, and Cāraṇas—praise him; heavenly drums resound and flowers rain down, marking divine approval and astonishment at his feat.