Shloka 23
पदातिषु रथाश्वेषु वारणेषु च सर्वश: । तस्य विद्युदिवा भ्रेषु चरन् केतुरदृश्यत,पैदल सैनिकों, रथियों, घुड़सवारों तथा हाथीसवारोंमें सब ओर विचरता हुआ उनका ध्वज बादलोंमें विद्युत्-सा दृष्टिगोचर हो रहा था
padātiṣu rathāśveṣu vāraṇeṣu ca sarvaśaḥ | tasya vidyud ivābhreṣu caran ketur adṛśyata ||
Sañjaya sprach: Unter Fußsoldaten, Wagenkämpfern, Reitern und Elefantenreitern—über das ganze Feld—sah man sein Banner umherziehen, aufblitzend wie ein Blitz in den Wolken. Das Bild vermittelt den furchterregenden Schwung des Vormarsches eines einzigen Kriegers, wenn das Zeichen über ihm im Kriegsgetümmel zum moralischen Sinnbild von Übermacht und nahender Vernichtung wird.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the banner as a moral-symbolic marker: in war, visible signs of a warrior’s advance (his standard) can embody the spread of fear and the inevitability of violence. It highlights how power and reputation operate as ‘omens’ on the battlefield, reminding readers that martial glory is inseparable from widespread suffering.
Sañjaya describes a warrior moving through all divisions of the army—infantry, chariots, cavalry, and elephants—so swiftly and forcefully that his banner is repeatedly seen everywhere, flashing like lightning in clouds, indicating rapid movement and dominance amid the dust and tumult of battle.