Shloka 196
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
सर्वबीजविरूढेव यथा सीता श्रिया वृता । माननीय नरेश! जैसे खेतमें हलकी नोकसे बनी हुई रेखा सभी बीजोंके अंकुरित होनेपर शोभासम्पन्न दिखायी देती है, उसी प्रकार मद्रराजके रथका आश्रय ले वह सीता (हलद्वारा बनी हुई रेखा) बड़ी शोभा पा रही थी
sarvabījavirūḍheva yathā sītā śriyā vṛtā | mānanīya nareśa! yathā kṣetre halikā-nokasambhūtā rekhā sarvabījānāṃ aṅkurībhāve śobhāsampannā dṛśyate, tathā madrarājasya rathāśrayaṃ labdhvā sā sītā (halakṛtā rekhā) mahāśobhayā virājate sma |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja yang mulia! Seperti alur yang terhasil daripada hujung bajak di ladang tampak indah apabila segala benih telah bercambah, demikianlah juga ‘Sītā’—alur yang dibentuk oleh bajak—kelihatan memperoleh seri yang besar apabila berlindung pada kereta perang raja Madra.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how splendour and effectiveness arise when something finds proper support: as a furrow-line becomes truly beautiful when seeds sprout, so a feature or formation in war gains prominence when aligned with a powerful protector (here, the Madra king’s chariot). It implicitly points to the ethical insight that outcomes depend not only on inherent form but also on right association and timely conditions.
Sañjaya, reporting the battlefield to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, uses an agrarian simile: he compares a ‘sītā’ (a plough-made furrow line) becoming attractive after germination to a battlefield sight that has become especially splendid by taking refuge with Śalya, the king of Madra, and his chariot.