Shloka 126
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
आहवे खं महाराज ददृशे पूरयन्निव । अधिरथपुत्र कर्णका ध्वज हाथीकी सुवर्णमयी रस्सीके चिह्नसे युक्त था। महाराज! वह संग्राममें आकाशको भरता हुआ-सा दिखायी देता था
sañjaya uvāca | āhave khaṃ mahārāja dadṛśe pūrayann iva |
सञ्जय उवाच—महाराज, आहवे तस्य ध्वजः खं पूरयन्निव ददृशे। अधिरथपुत्रस्य कर्णस्य ध्वजे सुवर्णहस्तिचिह्नं सुवर्णरज्जुचिह्नं चासीत्; स रणमध्ये गगनमिव व्याप्नुवन्निव दृश्यते स्म।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial symbols (like a towering banner) can magnify fear and pride in war; it implicitly contrasts outward grandeur with the inner ethical collapse that war brings, reminding readers that spectacle is not the same as righteousness.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, on the battlefield, Karṇa’s banner—bearing a golden elephant emblem and golden adornments—looked so immense that it seemed to fill the sky, emphasizing Karṇa’s formidable presence in the fighting.