Shloka 296
Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)
वर्षेण क्लेदितो राजन् यथा गैरिकपर्वत:ः । राजन! खूनसे लथपथ हुआ कृतवर्मा वर्षासे भीगे हुए गेरूके पहाड़के समान शोभा पा रहा था
varṣeṇa kledito rājan yathā gairikaparvataḥ |
Sañjaya said: “O King, Kṛtavarmā—smeared and drenched in blood—appeared like a mountain of red ochre soaked by the rains.” The image underscores the brutal visibility of violence in war: valor is shown outwardly, yet it is inseparable from the moral weight of bloodshed.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a striking simile to highlight how war makes violence unmistakably visible; martial glory is portrayed alongside the ethical gravity of bloodshed, reminding the listener that battlefield splendor is inseparable from suffering.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṛtavarmā, covered in blood, looked like a rain-soaked red-ochre mountain—an image emphasizing the intensity of the fighting and Kṛtavarmā’s fierce engagement.