Shloka 516
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
विरराज रणे राजन् सपुष्प इव किंशुक: । राजन! भीष्मजीके धनुषसे छूटे हुए उन बाणोंसे विद्ध होकर भगवान् मधुसूदन रणभूमिमें रक्तरंजित हो खिले हुए पलाशके वृक्षके समान शोभा पाने लगे
virarāja raṇe rājan sapuṣpa iva kiṃśukaḥ |
Sañjaya said: O King, in the midst of battle he shone like a kiṃśuka tree in full bloom. Struck by the arrows released from Bhīṣma’s bow, Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa) became reddened with blood on the battlefield, and yet appeared all the more radiant—like a blossoming palāśa—suggesting the paradox of divine composure and purposeful endurance amid the violence of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness and purposeful endurance in the face of harm: even when wounded, the divine charioteer Kṛṣṇa remains composed and radiant. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s tension between the harsh necessities of war and the ideal of inner steadiness while fulfilling one’s role (dharma).
Sañjaya describes the battle scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Bhīṣma’s arrows strike Kṛṣṇa (Madhusūdana), reddening him with blood. Yet Kṛṣṇa’s appearance is compared to a kiṃśuka/palāśa tree in bloom—brilliantly red—turning a moment of injury into a vivid image of splendor amid combat.