Shloka 39
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
स्वर्णदण्डामकुण्ठाग्रां तैलधौतां सुनिर्मलाम् । लेलिहानामिव विभो नागकन्यां महाविषाम्
svarṇadaṇḍām akuṇṭhāgrāṃ tailadhautāṃ sunirmalām | lelihānām iva vibho nāgakanyāṃ mahāviṣām
Sañjaya dit : «Ô toi le puissant ! (Il vit) une arme au fût d’or, à la pointe non émoussée, polie à l’huile et d’une pureté éclatante—pareille à une vierge-serpent au venin mortel, comme si elle dardait sa langue». Cette image rappelle que, dans la guerre, même l’ouvrage le plus raffiné devient l’emblème d’une volonté meurtrière, où beauté et éclat ne se séparent pas du péril.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a striking simile to show that in warfare, splendor and craftsmanship can mask mortal danger: what appears beautiful and pure can still be an instrument of destruction, urging ethical reflection on the seductive nature of power and violence.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes a gleaming, oil-polished, sharp-pointed weapon with a golden shaft, comparing its deadly readiness to a highly venomous serpent-maiden flicking her tongue.