Shloka 313
Sātyaki-praveśaḥ and Duryodhana-saṃnipātaḥ
Sātyaki’s passage and Duryodhana’s mass engagement
अदृश्यन्तोष्णपर्याये मेघानामिव वागुरा: । भारत! मोती और मूँगोंसे चित्रित तथा मणियों और सुवर्णोंसे विभूषित ध्वज, विचित्र आभूषण, सुवर्णमय कवच, वैजयन्ती, पताका, हाथियोंके झूल और कम्बल, चमचमाते हुए तीखे शस्त्र, घोड़ोंकी पीठपर बिछाये जानेवाले वस्त्र, हाथियोंके कुम्भस्थलमें और मस्तकोंपर सुशोभित होनेवाली सोने-चाँदीकी मालाएँ तथा दन्तवेष्टन--इन सब वस्तुओंके कारण उभयपक्षकी सेनाएँ वर्षाकालमें बगलोंकी पाँति, खद्योत, ऐरावत और बिजलियोंसे युक्त मेघसमूहोंके समान दृष्टिगोचर हो रही थीं
sañjaya uvāca |
adṛśyantoṣṇaparyāye meghānām iva vāgurāḥ |
Sañjaya said: In that season of oppressive heat, the formations of the armies appeared like nets of clouds. O Bhārata, because of their pearl- and coral-worked banners, standards adorned with gems and gold, variegated ornaments, golden cuirasses, vaijayantī garlands, streamers and flags, elephant trappings and blankets, glittering sharp weapons, richly spread horse-cloths, golden and silver garlands shining on the elephants’ temples and heads, and the bindings upon their tusks—both hosts looked like monsoon cloud-masses, filled with lines of cranes, swarms of fireflies, Airāvata-like splendor, and flashes of lightning.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the contrast between outward brilliance and inner danger: war can look magnificent—gold, gems, banners, and shining weapons—yet it remains a snare that entangles and destroys. The cloud-and-lightning imagery suggests beauty mixed with menace, warning against being misled by spectacle.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra how both armies, richly decorated with banners, armor, ornaments, and elephant and horse trappings, appear like monsoon cloud-banks—bright with lightning-like weapons and dotted with crane-like lines and firefly-like glimmers—conveying the scale and intensity of the battlefield scene.