Shloka 203
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
ध्वजाग्रेडलोहितार्काभो हेमजालपरिष्कृत: । सिन्धुराज जयद्रथकी ध्वजाके अग्रभागमें उज्ज्वल सूर्यके समान श्वेत कान्तिमान् और सोनेकी जालीसे विभूषित चाँदीका बना हुआ वराहचिह्न अत्यन्त सुशोभित हो रहा था
dhvajāgreḍalohitārkābho hemajālapariṣkṛtaḥ | sindhurāja-jayadrathakī dhvajāke agrabhāgame ujjvala-sūrya-samānaḥ śveta-kāntimān ca suvarṇa-jālena vibhūṣitaḥ cāndī-kṛto varāha-cihnaḥ atyantaṃ suśobhitaḥ babhūva |
Sañjaya describes the emblem crowning Jayadratha’s banner: at the very top it shone with a bright, sunlike radiance, gleaming white, and was further adorned with a net-work of gold. Fashioned in silver as a boar-mark, it stood out splendidly—an image of royal pride and martial display amid the moral darkness of the war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how outward splendour—royal emblems and dazzling insignia—can mask or accompany ethically fraught actions in war; it invites reflection on the contrast between appearance (glory) and moral reality (dharma in conflict).
Sañjaya is describing Jayadratha’s battle standard: a silver boar emblem at the banner’s top, shining with sunlike brilliance and decorated with a golden lattice, emphasizing Jayadratha’s prominence on the battlefield.