Shloka 7

Bhīmasena–Drauṇi Mahāyuddha

Chariot Duel and Astra-Exchange

Devanagari script

तत: श्वेतपताकेन बलाकावर्णवाजिना । हेमपृष्ठेन धनुषा नागकक्ष्येण केतुना,तदनन्तर सूतपुत्र कर्ण निर्मल सूर्यके समान तेजस्वी और सब ओरसे पताकाओंद्वारा सुशोभित रथके द्वारा रणयात्राके लिये उद्यत दिखायी दिया। उस रथमें श्वेत पताका फहरा रही थी। बगुलोंके समान सफेद रंगके घोड़े जुते हुए थे। उसपर एक ऐसा धनुष रखा हुआ था, जिसके पृष्ठभागपर सोना मढ़ा गया था। उस रथकी पताकापर हाथीके रस्सेका चिह्न बना हुआ था। उसमें गदाके साथ ही सैकड़ों तरकस रखे गये थे। रथकी रक्षाके लिये ऊपरसे आवरण लगाया गया था। उसमें शतघ्नी, किंकिणी, शक्ति, शूल और तोमर संचित करके रखे गये थे तथा वह रथ अनेक धनुषोंसे सम्पन्न था

Transliteration

tataḥ śvetapatākena balākāvarṇavājinā | hemapṛṣṭhena dhanuṣā nāgakakṣyeṇa ketunā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then there appeared a chariot prepared for the march into battle—adorned with a white banner, drawn by horses white as herons, bearing a bow whose back was overlaid with gold, and marked by a standard emblazoned with the emblem of an elephant-girth.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

श्वेतपताकेनwith a white banner

बलाकावर्णवाजिनाwith a horse of crane-like (white) color

हेमपृष्ठेनwith a golden-backed (one)

धनुषाwith a bow

नागकक्ष्येणwith an elephant-girth/strap

केतुनाwith a banner/standard

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

chariot (ratha)

white banner (śvetapatākā)

horses (vājinaḥ)

bow (dhanuṣ)

gold (hema)

standard/emblem (ketu)

elephant-girth emblem (nāgakakṣya)

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 war is entered with ceremony and splendor, yet such outward magnificence cannot erase the moral gravity of violence. It invites reflection on the tension between kṣatriya martial duty and the ethical consequences that inevitably follow battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the appearance of a battle-ready chariot distinguished by a white banner, white horses, a gold-backed bow, and a standard bearing an elephant-girth emblem—signaling the formal readiness and display of power as the conflict intensifies in Karṇa Parva.