Shloka 231

भीष्म-पर्व अध्याय १०० — त्रिगर्त-आक्रमण, भीष्म-केन्द्रित पुनर्संयोजन, तथा शक्त्यस्त्र-विनिमय

Devanagari script

भण्डीपुष्पनिकाशेन तपनीयनिभेन च । अनुलिप्त: पराध्येन चन्दनेन सुगन्धिना

Transliteration

bhaṇḍīpuṣpanikāśena tapanīyanibhena ca | anuliptaḥ parārdhyena candanena sugandhinā

Translation

Karna berkata: “Dia dihiasi dengan perhiasan yang bersinar seperti bunga bhaṇḍī dan berkilau seperti emas yang dimurnikan; tubuhnya pula disapu dengan pes cendana yang mahal lagi harum.”

Word by Word

भण्डीपुष्पनिकाशेनwith (something) resembling bhāṇḍī-flowers

तपनीयनिभेनwith (something) like gold

चand

अनुलिप्तःsmeared/anointed

परार्ध्येनwith precious/excellent

चन्दनेनwith sandalwood (paste)

सुगन्धिनाfragrant

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

क

कर्ण (Karna)

च

चन्दन (sandalwood paste)

त

तपनीय (refined gold)

भ

भण्डीपुष्प (bhaṇḍī-flowers)

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 highlights how external marks of nobility—golden brilliance, floral beauty, and fragrant sandalwood—can persist even in a setting dominated by conflict. It invites reflection on the tension between cultivated royal decorum and the ethical gravity of war, where true worth is tested beyond appearance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna is describing a figure’s splendid appearance: shining like gold and flower-like in radiance, anointed with expensive fragrant sandalwood. It functions as a vivid visual detail within the war narrative, emphasizing status, preparation, and the ceremonial aspect of martial life.