Shloka 25

Devanagari script

रुक्मभाण्डप्रतिच्छन्ना: कौशेयसदृशा हरा:

Transliteration

rukmabhāṇḍa-praticchannāḥ kauśeya-sadṛśā harāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: They were covered with golden fittings, and their tawny hue shone like fine silk—an image of martial splendor that heightens the grandeur of war even as it foreshadows the costly violence to come.

Word by Word

• रुक्मभाण्डप्रतिच्छन्नाः: covered with golden vessels/ornaments
• रुक्मभाण्डप्रतिच्छन्नाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुक्मभाण्ड-प्रतिच्छन्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कौशेयसदृशाः: resembling silk
• कौशेयसदृशाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौशेय-सदृश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हराः: lions
• हराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• रुक्म (golden fittings/ornamentation)
• कौशेय (silk)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses vivid description of golden, silk-like sheen to show how war can appear glorious and alluring; ethically, it invites reflection on the contrast between outward splendor and the inner reality of violence and loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the appearance of the warriors’ (or their mounts/gear) equipment—gold-adorned and tawny, shining like silk—within the Drona Parva battle account, emphasizing the visual grandeur of the battlefield scene.