Shloka 31
Bhūriśravas–Sātyaki Saṃvāda and Duel; Arjuna’s Intervention (भूरिश्रवाः–सात्यकि संवादः, युद्धम्, अर्जुन-हस्तक्षेपः)
रुक्मवर्मधर: शूरस्तपनीयाड्रद: शुचि:,उरसा धारयन् निष्कं कण्ठसूत्रं च भास्वरम् | शूरवीर एवं पवित्र जलसंधने अपने शरीरमें सोनेका कवच धारण कर रखा था। उसकी दोनों भुजाओंमें सोनेके ही बाजूबंद शोभा पा रहे थे। दोनों कानोंमें कुण्डल और मस्तकपर किरीट चमक रहे थे। उसके हाथमें तलवार थी और सम्पूर्ण शरीरमें रक्त चन्दनका लेप लगा हुआ था। उसने अपने सिरपर सोनेकी बनी हुई चमकीली माला और वक्ष:स्थलपर प्रकाशमान पदक एवं कण्ठहार धारण कर रखे थे
rukmavarmadharaḥ śūras tapanīyāṅgadaḥ śuciḥ | urasā dhārayan niṣkaṁ kaṇṭhasūtraṁ ca bhāsvaram ||
Sañjaya said: The heroic warrior, pure in appearance, wore a golden cuirass and gleaming armlets of refined gold. Upon his chest he bore a shining medallion, and around his neck a radiant necklace-thread—adorned for battle with the splendor of wealth and rank, even as the war’s moral gravity pressed on all who entered the fray.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the outward brilliance of martial and royal adornment, implicitly contrasting external splendor with the inner ethical weight of war. In the Mahābhārata’s war narrative, such descriptions often remind the reader that status and ornament do not lessen the responsibility (dharma) borne by a warrior in battle.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s battle-ready appearance—golden armor, gold armlets, and shining chest and neck ornaments—setting the scene and emphasizing the grandeur and intensity of the combatants in Droṇa Parva.