Shloka 47
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
विद्धा: सादिध्वजाग्रेषु सुवर्णविकृता: कुथा: । विचित्रान् मणिचित्रांश्ष॒ जातरूपपरिष्कृतान्
viddhāḥ sādidhvajāgreṣu suvarṇavikṛtāḥ kuthāḥ | vicitrān maṇicittrāṃś ca jātarūpapariṣkṛtān ||
Sañjaya dit : «Aux pointes mêmes des hampes, les bannières et les étendards étaient percés et déchirés. Pourtant, ils avaient été façonnés d’or, parés de mille couleurs, incrustés de gemmes et richement achevés d’or ouvragé.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes martial destruction with royal ornament: even what is splendid and carefully crafted (gold- and gem-adorned standards) becomes pierced in war. It implicitly highlights the fragility of worldly grandeur amid violence and the cost of kṣatriya conflict.
Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, focusing on the war-standards and banners: they are ornate—golden and jewel-inlaid—yet visibly damaged and pierced at the tops of the flagstaffs, indicating the intensity of the fighting.