Shloka 286
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
व्यदीपयंस्ते पृतनां युगान्तादित्यसंनिभा: । ये नौ उत्तम ध्वज आपकी सेनामें बहुत ऊँचे थे और प्रलयकालके सूर्यके समान अपना प्रकाश फैलाते हुए आपकी सेनाको उद्धासित कर रहे थे
vyadīpayaṃs te pṛtanāṃ yugāntāditya-sannibhāḥ | ye nau uttama-dhvajā āpākī senāmeṃ bahut ūṃce the aura pralayakāla-ke sūrya ke samāna apnā prakāśa phailāte hue āp kī senā ko udbhāsita kara rahe the |
Sanjaya said: “Those lofty standards and banners, radiant like the sun at the end of an age, were spreading their blaze and lighting up your army.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how outward symbols of power—standards and banners—can magnify morale and perceived might in war; it also frames human conflict within cosmic imagery, reminding the listener that battlefield splendor is transient when compared to time’s vast cycles.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the towering banners in the army were blazing brilliantly, likened to the sun at the end of an age, and their radiance was visibly lighting up the entire host.