Mahabharata — Drona Parva, Shloka 18

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda

Arrow-storm Engagement

Devanagari script

मद्रराजस्य शल्यस्य ध्वजाग्रेडग्नेशिखामिव

Transliteration

madrarājasya śalyasya dhvajāgre dagnēśikhām iva

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—മദ്രരാജൻ ശല്യന്റെ ധ്വജാഗ്രത്തിൽ ജ്വലിക്കുന്ന അഗ്നിശിഖപോലെ (അവൻ) പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

• मद्रराजस्य: of the king of Madra
• मद्रराजस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद्रराज
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• शल्यस्य: of Shalya
• शल्यस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: शल्य
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• ध्वजाग्रे: on the tip/top of the banner
• ध्वजाग्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्वजाग्र
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अग्नेशिखाम्: a flame of fire
• अग्नेशिखाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नेशिखा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śalya
• Madra
• dhvaja (banner/standard)
• śikhā (flame)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a fire-simile to suggest that battlefield brilliance can be simultaneously radiant and ruinous—power that inspires fear and admiration, yet consumes lives and dharma when unchecked.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior’s appearance in battle through vivid imagery: something (implicitly a fighter or weapon/energy in motion) is compared to a blazing flame at the tip of Śalya’s banner, emphasizing intensity and imminent danger in the Drona Parva conflict.