Shloka 15
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
त॑ तु पाटलिपुष्पाणां समवर्णा हयोत्तमा:
taṁ tu pāṭalipuṣpāṇāṁ samavarṇā hayottamāḥ
Sañjaya said: Those excellent horses were of the same hue as pāṭali blossoms—an image that heightens the vivid, almost auspicious splendor of the war-chariot even amid the grim setting of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not state a direct moral injunction; instead it uses refined natural imagery to frame martial power. By likening war-horses to pāṭali blossoms, the epic suggests how beauty and auspicious symbolism can coexist with—and even intensify—the gravity of dharmic conflict.
Sañjaya is describing a chariot’s horse-team (or a notable set of horses) in the Drona Parva battle narrative, emphasizing their striking, uniform color—like pāṭali flowers—thereby highlighting the grandeur and distinctiveness of the warrior’s equipment in the midst of combat.