Shloka 13
Droṇavadha-saṃniveśaḥ — The Convergence Toward Droṇa’s Fall
Book 7, Chapter 164
सुवर्णपुड्खैरिषुभिराचितौ तौ व्यराजताम् । खटद्योतैरावृती राजन् प्रावषीव वनस्पती,राजन! सुवर्णमय पंखवाले बाणोंसे व्याप्त होकर वे दोनों योद्धा वर्षाकालमें जुगनुओंसे व्याप्त हुए दो वृक्षोंक समान सुशोभित हो रहे थे
suvarṇapuḍkhair iṣubhir ācitau tau vyarājatām | khaṭadyotair āvṛtī rājan prāvaṣīva vanaspatī ||
Sañjaya said: O King, those two warriors, covered all over with arrows whose fletchings were of gold, shone brilliantly—like two trees in the rainy season, wrapped in a swarm of fireflies. The image underscores the grim splendor of battle: even as bodies are pierced, valor and steadfastness can appear radiant, while the very beauty is born from violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a reflective contrast: the battlefield can appear outwardly radiant through poetic imagery, yet that radiance arises from wounds and weaponry. It invites discernment about the cost of war even when valor and martial excellence are praised within kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya describes two opposing warriors in close combat who are so densely struck by arrows with golden fletchings that they look visually resplendent—likened to monsoon-season trees glittering with fireflies—conveying both intensity and spectacle of the fight.