Shloka 43
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
आदित्यपथग: केतुस्तस्याद्भुतमनोरम: । शासनात् पुरुहृतस्य निर्मितो विश्वकर्मणा
ādityapathagaḥ ketus tasyādbhuta-manoramaḥ | śāsanāt puruhṛtasya nirmito viśvakarmaṇā ||
Sañjaya said: “His banner—wonderful and captivating—was seen streaming high in the sky along the sun’s path. It had been fashioned by Viśvakarman himself, in obedience to the command of Puruhūta (Indra).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how emblems of power (like a banner) are portrayed as grounded in higher authority: divine command (Indra) and divine skill (Viśvakarman). Ethically, it suggests that legitimacy and morale in conflict are reinforced through symbols believed to be sanctioned beyond mere human ambition.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s splendid banner flying high in the sky, emphasizing its extraordinary beauty and its divine origin—crafted by Viśvakarman at Indra’s command—thereby magnifying the warrior’s stature on the battlefield.