Shloka 17

Devanagari script

शरै: कनकपुड्खैश्न चित्रा रेजुर्गजोत्तमा: । उल्काभि: सम्प्रदीप्ताग्रा: पर्वता इव भारत,भरतनन्दन! विचित्र प्रकारसे सजे हुए उत्तम हाथी सुवर्णमय पंखवाले बाणोंके लगनेसे उल्काओंद्वारा उद्दीप्त शिखरोंवाले पर्वतोंके समान शोभा पा रहे थे

Transliteration

śaraiḥ kanakapudkhaiś ca citrā rejur gajottamāḥ | ulkābhiḥ sampradīptāgrāḥ parvatā iva bhārata bharatanandana ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: ໂອ ພາຣະຕະ, ຜູ້ເປັນຄວາມຊື່ນຊົມຂອງວົງພາຣະຕະ! ຊ້າງຊັ້ນຍອດທີ່ປະດັບຕົວຢ່າງຫຼາກຫຼາຍ ເມື່ອຖືກລູກສອນທີ່ມີຂົນທອງກໍສ່ອງປະກາຍຢ່າງສະຫວ່າງໄສ; ມັນຄ້າຍພູເຂົາທີ່ຍອດພູລຸກໂຊນດ້ວຍອຸລະກາ (ດາວຕົກ) ທີ່ລຸກໄຟ.

Word by Word

शरैःby arrows

कनकपुड्खैःwith golden fletchings

चित्राःvariegated, splendid

रेजुःshone

गजोत्तमाःbest elephants

उल्काभिःby meteors/firebrands

सम्प्रदीप्ताग्राःhaving blazing peaks

पर्वताःmountains

इवlike, as

भारतO Bharata

भरतनन्दनO descendant/son of Bharata

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by vocatives bhārata, bharatanandana)

elephants (gajottamāḥ)

arrows with golden fletching

meteors/firebrands (ulkāḥ)

mountains (parvatāḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse offers no direct moral injunction; its ethical force lies in contrast: the grandeur of poetic imagery highlights the tragic inversion of dharma in war, where majestic elephants become radiant only through wounds, reminding the listener that beauty in battle often masks suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: elephants, decorated and prominent in the armies, are being struck by arrows with golden fletching, and their appearance is compared to mountains whose peaks blaze with meteors.