Shloka 82

द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः

Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry

Devanagari script

अतीव शुशुभे तस्य ध्वज: कृष्णाजिनोत्तर: | कमण्डलुर्महाराज जातरूपमय: शुभ:,महाराज! काले मृगचर्म और कमण्डलुके चिह्नसे युक्त उनका सुवर्णमय सुन्दर ध्वज अत्यन्त शोभा पा रहा था

Transliteration

atīva śuśubhe tasya dhvajaḥ kṛṣṇājinottaraḥ | kamaṇḍalur mahārāja jātarūpamayaḥ śubhaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: O König, sein Banner schmückte sich in höchstem Glanz—gekrönt vom Zeichen eines schwarzen Antilopenfells; und der glückverheißende Kamaṇḍalu, aus Gold gefertigt, mehrte seine Pracht.

Word by Word

अतीवexceedingly, very much

शुशुभेshone, was splendid

तस्यof him, his

ध्वजःbanner, flag

कृष्णाजिनोत्तरःhaving a black-antelope skin as its upper part/covering

कमण्डलुःwater-pot (ascetic’s vessel)

महाराजO great king

जातरूपमयःmade of gold

शुभःauspicious, beautiful

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Mahārāja (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

dhvaja (banner/standard)

kṛṣṇājina (black antelope-skin emblem)

kamaṇḍalu (ascetic water-pot)

jātarūpa (gold)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid warfare, the imagery of kṛṣṇājina and kamaṇḍalu on a warrior’s banner recalls ascetic virtues—self-control, discipline, and moral responsibility—suggesting that power should be tempered by restraint and dharmic awareness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the striking appearance of a warrior’s standard: it is splendid, marked by a black antelope-skin emblem and an auspicious golden kamaṇḍalu, highlighting the warrior’s distinctive insignia during the battle account.