Shloka 1736
काकोपमोपदेशः
The Crow-and-Swan Exemplum as Counsel to Karṇa
विरेजतुर्महाराज किंशुकाविव पुष्पितौ । वे दोनों महारथी एक-दूसरेका अन्तर (प्रहार करनेका अवसर) ढूँढ़ते हुए रणभूमिमें विचर रहे थे। महाराज! धनुषको पूर्णतः खींचकर छोड़े गये बाणोंद्वारा वे दोनों वीर क्षत- विक्षत होकर फूले हुए दो पलाश-वृक्षोंके समान शोभा पा रहे थे
virejatur mahārāja kiṃśukāv iva puṣpitau |
Sañjaya said: O King, the two great chariot-warriors shone like kiṃśuka trees in full bloom. Roaming the battlefield, each sought an opening to strike the other; yet, though torn and wounded by arrows released from fully drawn bows, they seemed adorned in grim splendor, like blossoming palāśa trees.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: martial excellence can appear beautiful in poetic description, yet it is inseparable from suffering. The simile of blossoming trees suggests how war can aesthetically ‘flower’ while morally remaining a scene of injury and loss.
Sañjaya describes two great chariot-warriors moving about the battlefield, each searching for an opening to strike. Though wounded by volleys of arrows shot from fully drawn bows, they still appear radiant—compared to kiṃśuka/palāśa trees in bloom.