Shloka 55
पश्य कर्णार्जुनस्यैता: सौदामन्य इवाम्बुदे । “कर्ण! देखो, अर्जुनके रथकी इन पताकाओंमें सुवर्णमय चन्द्रमा, सूर्य और तारोंके चिह्न बने हुए हैं और छोटी-छोटी घंटियाँ लगी हुई हैं। रथपर फहराती हुई ये पताकाएँ मेघोंकी घटामें बिजलीके समान प्रकाशित हो रही हैं ।।
paśya karṇārjunasya etāḥ saudāmanya iva ambude | dhvajāḥ kaṇakaṇāyante vātenābhisamīritāḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: «Vê, ó Karna: estes estandartes no carro de Arjuna fulguram como relâmpagos em meio a uma nuvem de chuva. Impelidos e levados pelo vento, tremulam e fazem soar um tilintar.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it underscores how outward signs—radiant banners, thundercloud-like imagery, and wind-driven motion—can function as battlefield portents, intensifying the moral and psychological pressure of war by magnifying a warrior’s perceived power.
Sanjaya, narrating the battle, draws Karna’s attention to Arjuna’s chariot standards. As the wind agitates the flags, they shimmer like lightning in clouds and audibly tinkle, creating a vivid, ominous spectacle amid the fighting.