Shloka 17
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
शरै: कनकपुड्खैश्न चित्रा रेजुर्गजोत्तमा: । उल्काभि: सम्प्रदीप्ताग्रा: पर्वता इव भारत
śaraiḥ kanakapudkhaiś ca citrā rejur gajottamāḥ | ulkābhiḥ sampradīptāgrāḥ parvatā iva bhārata bharatanandana ||
Sanjaya berkata: Wahai Bhārata, wahai kebanggaan keturunan Bharata, gajah-gajah terbaik yang dihias beraneka rupa tampak berkilau ketika dihantam panah berbuluh emas; mereka laksana pegunungan yang puncaknya menyala oleh meteor.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers no direct moral injunction; its ethical force lies in contrast: the grandeur of poetic imagery highlights the tragic inversion of dharma in war, where majestic elephants become radiant only through wounds, reminding the listener that beauty in battle often masks suffering.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: elephants, decorated and prominent in the armies, are being struck by arrows with golden fletching, and their appearance is compared to mountains whose peaks blaze with meteors.