Shloka 39
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
स्वर्णदण्डामकुण्ठाग्रां तैलधौतां सुनिर्मलाम् । लेलिहानामिव विभो नागकन्यां महाविषाम्
svarṇadaṇḍām akuṇṭhāgrāṃ tailadhautāṃ sunirmalām | lelihānām iva vibho nāgakanyāṃ mahāviṣām
サञ्जयは言った。「おお、力ある御方よ。（彼は）黄金の柄を持ち、穂先は鈍らず、油で磨かれてこの上なく清らかに輝く武器を見た――まるで猛毒を宿す蛇の乙女が、舌をちらつかせるかのようであった。」この比喩は、戦においては精巧な器でさえ殺意の標となり、美と光彩が危険と分かちがたく結びつくことを示している。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a striking simile to show that in warfare, splendor and craftsmanship can mask mortal danger: what appears beautiful and pure can still be an instrument of destruction, urging ethical reflection on the seductive nature of power and violence.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes a gleaming, oil-polished, sharp-pointed weapon with a golden shaft, comparing its deadly readiness to a highly venomous serpent-maiden flicking her tongue.