Shloka 57

Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira

Book 9, Chapter 11

Devanagari script

तां वज़्मणिरत्नौचकल्मषां वज्रगौरवाम्‌

Transliteration

tāṁ vajramaṇiratnaucakalmaṣāṁ vajragauravām

Translation

Sañjaya said: “That (splendid form/array) was marked by the brilliance of diamonds, gems, and precious jewels, and it bore the heavy, adamantine majesty of the thunderbolt.”

Word by Word

• ताम्: her/that (f.)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• वज्रमणिरत्नौचकल्मषाम्: stained/marked with vajra, gems, jewels and ochre-like (marks)
• वज्रमणिरत्नौचकल्मषाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वज्र-मणि-रत्न-ओच-कल्मषा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• वज्रगौरवाम्: having the heaviness/majesty of a vajra; vajra-like in dignity
• वज्रगौरवाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वज्र-गौरवा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• vajra (thunderbolt/adamantine power)
• maṇi (gems)
• ratna (precious jewels)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the epic’s ethical-aesthetic contrast: outward splendour and adamantine power can accompany scenes of war, reminding the listener that grandeur and violence often coexist and must be judged through dharma rather than mere appearance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing a previously mentioned sight—likely a warrior, chariot, or battle-array—highlighting its jewel-like radiance and ‘vajra-like’ imposing heaviness/majesty, intensifying the atmosphere of the battlefield.