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 |
ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ರಾಜನೇ, ರಕ್ತದಲ್ಲಿ ಲೇಪಿತನಾಗಿ ತೋಯ್ದಿದ್ದ ಕೃತವರ್ಮನು ಮಳೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೆನೆದ ಕೆಂಪು ಗೇರುಗಲ್ಲಿನ ಪರ್ವತದಂತೆ ಕಂಗೊಳಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದನು।
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.