Shloka 25
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
जातरूपपरिच्छन्नां प्रगृह्ा महतीं गदाम्
jātarūpaparicchannāṁ pragṛhya mahatīṁ gadām
Sañjaya sprach: Er ergriff eine gewaltige Keule, mit Gold beschlagen, und machte sich bereit — ein Bild königlichen Glanzes, eingespannt in das düstere Werk des Krieges, wo äußere Pracht in scharfem Gegensatz zu der Gewalt steht, der sie dient.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line highlights how instruments of power and prestige (a gold-clad weapon) are employed in war, underscoring the ethical tension in kṣatriya life: grandeur and duty can become vehicles for destruction when conflict is embraced.
Sañjaya narrates a warrior taking up a huge mace encased in gold, signaling readiness for close combat and emphasizing the formidable, ceremonial-yet-deadly nature of the weapon.