Shloka 116
ऋक्षचर्मावनद्धाड़ं नल्वमात्रं महारथम् | उसके रथमें सैकड़ों क्षुद्र घण्टिकाओंका मधुर घोष होता था। उसपर लाल रंगकी ध्वजा-पताका फहरा रही थी। उस रथके सम्पूर्ण अंगोंपर रीछकी खाल मढ़ी गयी थी। वह विशाल रथ चारों ओरसे चार सौ हाथ लंबा था
sañjaya uvāca | ṛkṣacarmāvanaddhāḍyaṃ nalvamātraṃ mahāratham | tasya rathe śatāni kṣudraghaṇṭikānāṃ madhuro ghoṣo bhavati sma | tasmin rakte dhvajā-patāke praphullite | tasya rathasya sarvāṅgeṣu ṛkṣacarmāṇi pariveṣṭitāni | sa mahārathaś caturdiśaṃ catuḥśatahastapramāṇaḥ paritaḥ ||
ऋक्षचर्मावनद्धं तं नल्वमात्रं महारथम् । शतघण्टिकनिर्घोषं रक्तध्वजसमन्वितम् ॥ सर्वाङ्गेषु च तस्यासीत् ऋक्षचर्मपरिच्छदः । चतुःशतहस्तविस्तीर्णं सर्वतः सुमहद्रथम् ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights how war magnifies external splendor—sound, color, and ornament—around instruments of violence. In ethical terms, it invites reflection on how grandeur and sensory allure can mask the destructive purpose of battle.
Sañjaya is describing a particular enormous chariot on the battlefield: it is wrapped in bearskin, fitted with many small bells producing a sweet sound, and marked by a red banner, emphasizing the formidable and striking presence of its rider’s war-car.