Shloka 17
Sātyaki’s Assurance and the Protection of Dharmarāja (सात्यकिवचनम्—धर्मराजरक्षणविचारः)
स रथे रथिनां श्रेष्ठ काड्चने काज्चनावृत: । विबभौ विमलोडर्चिष्मान् मेराविव दिवाकर:,सुवर्णमय कवचसे आवृत हो उस स्वर्णमय रथपर आरूढ़ हुए रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ उज्ज्वल कान्तिधारी तेजस्वी अर्जुन मेरु पर्वतपर प्रकाशित होनेवाले सूर्यके समान शोभा पा रहे थे
sa rathe rathināṁ śreṣṭha kāñcane kāñcanāvṛtaḥ | vibabhau vimalodarcīṣmān merāv iva divākaraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Mounted on that chariot—the best among charioteers—covered in gold and radiant with spotless splendor, Arjuna shone forth like the sun blazing upon Mount Meru. The verse underscores how inner excellence and righteous purpose are mirrored outwardly as luminous presence amid the moral gravity of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a dharmic ideal of leadership in crisis: true excellence (śreṣṭhatva) and purity of purpose (vimala-tejas) manifest as steadiness and radiance even in war. The imagery suggests that righteous intent lends moral luminosity, not mere ornamentation.
Sañjaya narrates Arjuna’s appearance as he mounts a gold-clad chariot. Arjuna is portrayed as supremely radiant, compared to the sun shining on Mount Meru, emphasizing his prominence and the awe he inspires on the battlefield.