Shloka 18
द्रौणिप्रतिज्ञा–नारायणास्त्रवर्णनम्
Drauṇi’s Vow and the Description of the Nārāyaṇāstra
तपनीयनिभौ चित्रौ कल्पवृक्षाविवाद्भुतौ । किंशुकाविव चोत्फुल्लौ व्यकाशेतां रणाजिरे,वे दोनों सुवर्णके समान विचित्र, कल्पवृक्षके समान अद्भुत और खिले हुए दो पलाशवृक्षोंके समान अनूठी शोभासे सम्पन्न हो रणभूमिमें प्रकाशित हो रहे थे
tapanīyanibhau citrau kalpavṛkṣāv ivādbhūtau | kiṃśukāv iva cotphullau vyakāśetāṃ raṇājire ||
सञ्जय उवाच—तपनीयनिभौ चित्रौ कल्पवृक्षाविवाद्भुतौ। किंशुकाविव चोत्फुल्लौ व्यकाशेतां रणाजिरे॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: martial excellence can appear radiant and admirable, yet it unfolds within the morally weighty setting of war. The poetic praise intensifies the reader’s awareness of both valor and the cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that two warriors (implied by the dual forms throughout the verse) are visibly shining on the battlefield, compared to gold, wish-fulfilling trees, and blossoming kiṃśuka trees—an elevated description of their striking presence in combat.