Shloka 183
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
कण्ठत्राणेन च बभौ सेन्द्रायुध इवाम्बुद: । लाल, पीले, काले और सफेद वस्त्रोंस अपने शरीरको सुसज्जित करके कण्ठत्राण पहनकर वे इन्द्रधनुषयुक्त मेघके समान शोभा पा रहे थे
kaṇṭhatrāṇena ca babhau sendrāyudha ivāmbudaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Wearing a neck-guard, he shone like a cloud adorned with Indra’s rainbow—his body arrayed in garments of red, yellow, black, and white. The image heightens the war-scene’s moral tension: even amid violence, martial splendor and disciplined protection are portrayed as signs of readiness and resolve.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it underscores disciplined preparedness (protective armor) and the paradox of beauty amid conflict, reminding readers that outward splendor in war does not erase the ethical gravity of violence.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s appearance on the battlefield: wearing a neck-guard and multicolored attire, he looks like a raincloud lit with a rainbow, emphasizing his striking presence and readiness for combat.