Shloka 15

Devanagari script

तौ गदाभिह्ठ तैगत्रि: क्षणेन रुधिरोक्षितौ । प्रेक्षणीयतरावास्तां पुष्पिताविव किंशुकौ,उन दोनोंके अंगोंमें गदाकी गहरी चोटोंसे घाव हो गये थे। अतः दोनों ही क्षणभरमें खूनसे नहा गये। उस समय खिले हुए दो पलाशवृक्षोंके समान वे दोनों वीर देखने ही योग्य जान पड़ते थे

Transliteration

tau gadābhighātair gātreṣu kṣaṇena rudhirokṣitau | prekṣaṇīyatarāv āstāṁ puṣpitāv iva kiṁśukau ||

Translation

સંજય બોલ્યો—ગદાના પ્રચંડ પ્રહારો વડે તે બંને વીરોનાં અંગો ક્ષણમાં જ ઘાવોથી ઢંકાઈ ગયા અને રક્તથી સ્નાત થયા. તેમ છતાં તેઓ ખીલેલા કિṁશુક (પલાશ) વૃક્ષોના જોડા સમાન વધુ જ દર્શનીય ઊભા રહ્યા—યુદ્ધની હિંસા વચ્ચે પણ પરાક્રમની ઘોર શોભા પ્રગટ કરતાં.

Word by Word

तौthose two

गदाभिघातैःby blows of the mace

गात्रेषुon (their) limbs

क्षणेनin a moment

रुधिरोक्षितौsprinkled/covered with blood

प्रेक्षणीयतरौmore worth seeing, very splendid

आस्ताम्they two were/stood

पुष्पितौin bloom, flowered

इवlike, as if

किंशुकौtwo palāśa trees (Butea monosperma)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

gadā (mace)

kiṁśuka/palāśa tree

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the paradox of kṣatriya warfare: even amid grievous injury and bloodshed, steadfast courage and martial excellence are portrayed as a kind of terrible beauty. It invites reflection on how valor is admired while violence remains morally weighty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes two combatants in a mace-duel who, after receiving deep blows, are quickly covered in blood. Despite their wounds, they appear striking—compared to two palāśa (kiṁśuka) trees blazing with red blossoms.