Shloka 31
कर्ण-पाण्डव-संमर्दः — Karṇa and Arjuna’s Intensified Engagement
ते हया बह्नशोभन्त मिश्रिता वातरंहस: । सितासिता महाराज यथा व्योम्नि बलाहका:,महाराज! वायुके समान वेगवाले वे सफेद और काले घोड़े परस्पर मिलकर आकाशगमें उठे हुए सफेद और काले बादलोंके समान अधिक शोभा पा रहे थे
te hayā bahnaśobhanta miśritā vātaraṁhasaḥ | sitāsitā mahārāja yathā vyomni balāhakāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, those horses—swift as the wind—mingled together in great splendor. White and black, they looked like white and dark clouds rising and drifting across the sky.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights the overwhelming momentum of war through a vivid simile. By comparing the intermingled white and black horses to clouds in the sky, the narration underscores how martial power can appear majestic and irresistible—inviting reflection on the seductive grandeur of violence and the need for discernment (dharma) amid spectacle.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the battlefield scene where swift horses—white and black—move together in a mass, appearing striking and cloud-like as they surge forward, emphasizing speed, density, and visual grandeur in the ongoing combat of Droṇa Parva.