Shloka 16
कर्णस्य सेनापत्यं, माकरव्यूहः, पाण्डवानामर्धचन्द्रव्यूहः
Karna’s Command; Mākara Formation; Pandava Crescent Counter-Array
स राजमध्ये पुरुषप्रवीरो रराज जाम्बूनदचित्रवर्मा । पद्मप्रभो वह्विरिवाल्पधूमो मेघान्तरे सूर्य इव प्रकाश:
sa rājamadhye puruṣapravīro rarāja jāmbūnadacitravarmā | padmaprabho vahnir ivālpadhūmo meghāntare sūrya iva prakāśaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Au milieu des rois assemblés, Duryodhana, le plus éminent des hommes, resplendissait. Revêtu d’une cuirasse merveilleuse d’or de Jāmbūnada et rayonnant tel un lotus, il flamboyait comme un feu à faible fumée, et comme le soleil perçant les nuées—éclatant, dominateur, tout entier voué à l’apparat guerrier.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how outward brilliance—armor, radiance, and public display—can project power and inspire followers, yet it also implicitly points to the ethical tension of war: splendor and heroism do not by themselves establish dharma; they can equally serve pride and destructive resolve.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana stands among the gathered kings, wearing a striking golden cuirass, and appears exceptionally radiant—likened to a clear flame and to the sun emerging through clouds—signaling his prominence and martial readiness in the unfolding battle context.