Shloka 1736
काकोपमोपदेशः
The Crow-and-Swan Exemplum as Counsel to Karṇa
विरेजतुर्महाराज किंशुकाविव पुष्पितौ । वे दोनों महारथी एक-दूसरेका अन्तर (प्रहार करनेका अवसर) ढूँढ़ते हुए रणभूमिमें विचर रहे थे। महाराज! धनुषको पूर्णतः खींचकर छोड़े गये बाणोंद्वारा वे दोनों वीर क्षत- विक्षत होकर फूले हुए दो पलाश-वृक्षोंके समान शोभा पा रहे थे
virejatur mahārāja kiṃśukāv iva puṣpitau |
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, kedua maharathi itu berkeliling di medan laga, masing-masing mencari celah untuk menghantam yang lain. Meski tubuh mereka koyak dan terluka oleh anak panah yang dilepaskan dari busur yang ditarik sepenuh tenaga, mereka tampak berkilau laksana pohon kiṃśuka yang sedang mekar—bagai palāśa yang berbunga lebat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: martial excellence can appear beautiful in poetic description, yet it is inseparable from suffering. The simile of blossoming trees suggests how war can aesthetically ‘flower’ while morally remaining a scene of injury and loss.
Sañjaya describes two great chariot-warriors moving about the battlefield, each searching for an opening to strike. Though wounded by volleys of arrows shot from fully drawn bows, they still appear radiant—compared to kiṃśuka/palāśa trees in bloom.