Mahabharata — Drona Parva, 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 |
Wika ni Sañjaya: O Hari, sa kasagsagan ng labanan ay waring napupuno ang mismong langit. Ang mataas na watawat ni Karṇa, anak ni Adhiratha, ay may tanda ng gintong elepante at pinalamutian ng gintong lubid; sa digmaan ay lumitaw itong napakalawak na para bang sinasakop ang kalangitan.
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.