Shloka 133
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
नृत्यतीव रथोपस्थे श्वसनेन समीरिता । युद्धसस््थलमें कर्णके ध्वजपर सुवर्णमयी मालासे विभूषित पताका वायुसे आन्दोलित हो रथकी बैठकपर नृत्य-सा कर रही थी
nṛtyatīva rathopasthe śvasanena samīritā | yuddhasthale karṇake dhvajapara suvarṇamayī mālāse vibhūṣita patākā vāyunā āndolitā ho rathakī baiṭhakapara nṛtya-sā kara rahī thī ||
Sañjaya said: Stirred by the rushing wind, the banner—adorned with a golden garland upon Karṇa’s standard—swayed on the battlefield and seemed to dance upon the seat of the chariot. The image underscores how, amid the violence of war, even royal insignia and ornamentation become animated by impersonal forces, heightening the ominous grandeur surrounding Karṇa’s martial presence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights how external splendor (banner, gold garland) is animated by indifferent natural forces (wind) amid war, suggesting the fragility and theatricality of martial grandeur in a setting governed by fate, violence, and impermanence.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene around Karṇa: his chariot’s standard, decorated with a golden garland, is caught by the wind and sways so vividly that it appears to dance on the chariot-seat, intensifying the dramatic atmosphere of the combat setting.