Shloka 126
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
आहवे खं महाराज ददृशे पूरयन्निव । अधिरथपुत्र कर्णका ध्वज हाथीकी सुवर्णमयी रस्सीके चिह्नसे युक्त था। महाराज! वह संग्राममें आकाशको भरता हुआ-सा दिखायी देता था
sañjaya uvāca | āhave khaṃ mahārāja dadṛśe pūrayann iva |
Sañjaya said: O King, in the thick of battle it seemed as though the very sky were being filled. Karṇa’s lofty standard—he, the son of Adhiratha—bore the mark of a golden elephant and was adorned with a golden rope; it loomed on the battlefield as if it occupied the heavens.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial symbols (like a towering banner) can magnify fear and pride in war; it implicitly contrasts outward grandeur with the inner ethical collapse that war brings, reminding readers that spectacle is not the same as righteousness.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, on the battlefield, Karṇa’s banner—bearing a golden elephant emblem and golden adornments—looked so immense that it seemed to fill the sky, emphasizing Karṇa’s formidable presence in the fighting.