Shloka 7
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 18: सेनानिनादः, ध्वज-दीप्तिः, भीष्मरक्षण-व्यवस्था च
Battle Muster: Soundscape, Banners, and the Protection of Bhīṣma
स्वेषां चैव परेषां च समदृश्यन्त भारत । महेन्द्रकेतव: शुभ्रा महेन्द्रसदनेष्विव,भारत! अपनी और शत्रुकी सेनाके चमकीले ध्वज इन्द्रभवनमें फहरानेवाले देवेन्द्रके ध्वजोंके समान दिखायी देते थे
sveṣāṁ caiva pareṣāṁ ca samadṛśyanta bhārata | mahendraketavaḥ śubhrā mahendrasadaneṣv iva ||
O Bhārata, the bright, gleaming banners of both our army and the enemy’s appeared alike—like the radiant standards of Indra fluttering in Indra’s own celestial hall.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how external grandeur in war can look equally impressive on both sides, reminding the listener that moral discernment (dharma) is not determined by spectacle or power but by righteousness and intention.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: the armies’ shining banners—both Kaurava and Pāṇḍava—appear splendid and comparable, evoked through a simile to Indra’s radiant standards in his heavenly palace.