Shloka 22
अध्याय ३१ — द्रोणानीके तुमुलसंग्रामः
The Tumultuous Battle around Droṇa’s Formation
तं पद्मनिकराकारं पद्मपत्रनिभेक्षणम् | व्याकोशपदञ्माभमुखो नीलो विव्याध सायकै:,नीलका मुख विकसित कमलके समान कान्तिमान् था। उन्होंने पद्मसमूहकी-सी आकृति तथा कमल-दलके सदृश नेत्रोंवाले अश्वत्थामाको अपने बाणोंसे बींध डाला
taṁ padmanikarākāraṁ padmapatranibhekṣaṇam | vyākośapadmābhavaktraṁ nīlo vivyādha sāyakaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Nīla pierced Aśvatthāmā with his arrows—Aśvatthāmā whose form seemed like a cluster of lotuses, whose eyes were like lotus-petals, and whose face was like a fully opened lotus. The narration shows that even a warrior cast in serene, auspicious imagery remains subject to war’s harsh, impersonal law: beauty and valor do not shield one from injury.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes auspicious, lotus-like beauty with the reality of battlefield injury, highlighting that in war (especially under kṣatriya-dharma) outcomes follow action and circumstance rather than outward grace; ethical reflection arises from seeing how violence touches even the illustrious.
Sañjaya reports that the warrior Nīla shoots and pierces Aśvatthāmā with arrows, describing Aśvatthāmā through lotus-based similes (form, eyes, and face) to emphasize his striking appearance even amid combat.