Shloka 273
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
वसन्तकाले सुमहान् प्रफुल्ल इव किंशुक: । महाराज! उस समय अत्यन्त घायल हुआ आपका पुत्र वसन्त-ऋतुमें खिले हुए महान् पलाश वृक्षके समान अत्यन्त सुशोभित हो रहा था
vasantakāle sumahān praphulla iva kiṁśukaḥ | mahārāja! tadā atyanta-ghāyalo bhavataḥ putro vasantar̥tau khile hue mahān palāśa-vṛkṣa-samānaḥ atyanta suśobhitaḥ babhūva |
Sañjaya dit : Ô grand roi, en cet instant ton fils—bien que grièvement blessé—paraissait splendide, tel un grand kiṁśuka (palāśa) en pleine floraison au printemps. Même au cœur des ruines du champ de bataille, son éclat et sa résolution étaient dits dans la langue de la beauté, comme si la vaillance pouvait, un bref moment, transfigurer la souffrance en grandeur tragique.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic’s moral-aesthetic tension: even in adharma-driven war, personal valor and endurance can appear radiant. It implicitly reminds the listener that beauty and glory in battle do not erase the underlying tragedy and ethical cost.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the king’s son, though severely wounded, still looked striking—likened to a palāśa tree blazing with spring blossoms—emphasizing his visible presence and fighting spirit amid the battlefield.