Shloka 10
Duryodhana-vadha-pratikriyā: Harṣa, Nindā, and Kṛṣṇa’s Nīti-vyākhyā (Śalya-parva 60)
तस्योर्ध्वबाहो: सदृशं रूपमासीन्महात्मन: । बहुधातुविचित्रस्य श्वेतस्येव महागिरे:
tasyordhvabāhoḥ sadṛśaṃ rūpam āsīn mahātmanaḥ | bahudhātuvicitrasyā śvetasyeva mahāgireḥ ||
Dengan kedua lengan terangkat, rupa sang mahatma tampak seperti gunung putih yang agung, berkilau beraneka warna oleh banyak mineral. Dalam detik yang menegang menjelang bentrokan, gambaran itu menegaskan kedahsyatan kuasa Balarāma sekaligus rasa gentar yang ditimbulkannya, seakan batas pengendalian akan terlampaui.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a grand natural simile to highlight how immense power can inspire reverence and fear; implicitly, such power calls for self-restraint so that strength does not become adharmic violence.
Sañjaya describes Balarāma at a tense moment: with arms lifted, he appears like a brilliant white mountain streaked with many minerals—an image emphasizing his formidable presence as he moves toward confrontation.