Shloka 12
Duryodhana-vadha-pratikriyā: Harṣa, Nindā, and Kṛṣṇa’s Nīti-vyākhyā (Śalya-parva 60)
सितासितौ यदुवरौ शुशुभाते5डधिकं तदा । (संगताविव राजेन्द्र कैलासाञ्जनपर्वतौ ।।) नभोगतौ यथा राजंश्रन्द्रसूयों दिनक्षये,राजेन्द्र! वे श्याम-गौर यदुकुलतिलक दोनों भाई परस्पर मिले हुए कैलास और कज्जल पर्वतोंके समान शोभा पा रहे थे। राजन! संध्याकालके आकाशमें जैसे चन्द्रमा और सूर्य उदित हुए हों, वैसे ही उस रणक्षेत्रमें वे दोनों भाई सुशोभित हो रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | sitāsitau yaduvarau śuśubhāte 'dhikaṃ tadā | saṅgatāv iva rājendra kailāsāñjanaparvatau || nabhogatau yathā rājan candrasūryau dinakṣaye ||
Sañjaya said: O king, at that time the two foremost heroes of the Yadu line—one fair and one dark—shone with even greater splendor, like Mount Kailāsa and the dark Añjana mountain standing together. O ruler, they appeared on that battlefield like the moon and the sun seen together in the sky at day’s end—an image that heightens the sense of awe and moral gravity as the war nears its fateful culmination.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses cosmic and geographic contrasts (white/dark; Kailāsa/Añjana; moon/sun at twilight) to convey that true greatness can appear as a harmonious union of opposites. In the ethical atmosphere of the Mahābhārata war, such imagery underscores the awe and seriousness of dharma’s unfolding—power and beauty are not mere ornament, but signs that decisive, morally weighty moments have arrived.
Sañjaya describes two eminent Yadu heroes—one fair and one dark—standing together and shining on the battlefield. Their paired presence is likened first to two mountains (bright Kailāsa and dark Añjana) and then to the moon and sun appearing together at dusk, emphasizing their striking, almost otherworldly prominence amid the war.