Shloka 23
Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)
शस्त्रप्रभाभिक्ष विराजमान दीपप्रभाभिश्च तदा बल॑ तत् प्रकाशितं चाभरणप्रभाभि- भुशं प्रकाशं नृपते बभूव,नरेश्वर! उस समय चमकीले अस्त्रों, प्रदीपों तथा आभूषणोंकी प्रभाओंसे प्रकाशित एवं सुशोभित आपकी सेना अत्यन्त प्रकाशसे उद्धासित होने लगी
sañjaya uvāca |
śastraprabhābhir virājamānaṃ dīpaprabhābhiś ca tadā balaṃ tat |
prakāśitaṃ cābharaṇaprabhābhir bhṛśaṃ prakāśaṃ nṛpate babhūva ||
Sañjaya said: “At that time, O king, your army—resplendent with the radiance of weapons, and also with the glow of lamps—shone forth. Illuminated further by the brilliance of ornaments, it became exceedingly radiant.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the seductive brilliance of martial power—weapons, lamps, and ornaments—suggesting that war’s outward splendor can conceal its ethical darkness. It invites reflection on how kings and warriors may be drawn by display and momentum, even as dharma is strained by violence and ambition.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the king’s army appears intensely luminous, lit by the shine of weapons, the light of lamps, and the glitter of ornaments—an atmospheric battlefield description emphasizing scale and spectacle.