Shloka 18

Devanagari script

जातरूपसमाभासा: सर्वे लोहितकध्वजा: । पाँच भाई केकयराजकुमार इन्द्रगोप (वीरबहूटी)-के समान रंगवाले घोड़ोंद्वारा रणभूमिमें लौट रहे थे। उन पाँचों भाइयोंकी कान्ति सुवर्णके समान थी तथा वे सब-के-सब लाल रंगकी ध्वजा-पताका धारण किये हुए थे ।। १७३६ || ते हेममालिन: शूरा: सर्वे युद्धविशारदा:

Transliteration

jātarūpasamābhāsāḥ sarve lohitakadhvajāḥ | te hemamālinaḥ śūrāḥ sarve yuddhaviśāradāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: All of them shone with a radiance like refined gold, and each bore a crimson banner. Those heroic men, adorned with golden garlands, were all skilled in the arts of war.

Word by Word

जातरूपसमाभासाःhaving a luster like gold

सर्वेall

लोहितकध्वजाःhaving red banners/flags

तेthey

हेममालिनःwearing garlands/ornaments of gold

शूराःheroes, brave men

सर्वेall

युद्धविशारदाःskilled/adept in battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

gold-like radiance (jātarūpa)

crimson banners (lohitakadhvaja)

golden garlands (hemamālā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how external emblems of glory—golden radiance, banners, ornaments—accompany warriors in war, reminding the reader that martial splendor and skill do not by themselves resolve the deeper dharmic and ethical burden of the conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a group of warriors as they appear on the battlefield: shining like gold, carrying red standards, adorned with golden garlands, and renowned for their expertise in fighting.