Mahabharata — Drona Parva, Shloka 203
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
ध्वजाग्रेडलोहितार्काभो हेमजालपरिष्कृत: । सिन्धुराज जयद्रथकी ध्वजाके अग्रभागमें उज्ज्वल सूर्यके समान श्वेत कान्तिमान् और सोनेकी जालीसे विभूषित चाँदीका बना हुआ वराहचिह्न अत्यन्त सुशोभित हो रहा था
dhvajāgreḍalohitārkābho hemajālapariṣkṛtaḥ | sindhurāja-jayadrathakī dhvajāke agrabhāgame ujjvala-sūrya-samānaḥ śveta-kāntimān ca suvarṇa-jālena vibhūṣitaḥ cāndī-kṛto varāha-cihnaḥ atyantaṃ suśobhitaḥ babhūva |
Inilarawan ni Sañjaya: Sa pinakatuktok ng watawat ni Jayadratha, hari ng Sindhu, ay kumikislap ang sagisag na Varāha (baboy-ramo) na yari sa pilak—maputing nagniningning na tila araw—at lalo pang pinalamutian ng lambat na ginto, kaya’t lubhang maringal ang anyo.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how outward splendour—royal emblems and dazzling insignia—can mask or accompany ethically fraught actions in war; it invites reflection on the contrast between appearance (glory) and moral reality (dharma in conflict).
Sañjaya is describing Jayadratha’s battle standard: a silver boar emblem at the banner’s top, shining with sunlike brilliance and decorated with a golden lattice, emphasizing Jayadratha’s prominence on the battlefield.