Shloka 17
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
शरै: कनकपुड्खैश्न चित्रा रेजुर्गजोत्तमा: । उल्काभि: सम्प्रदीप्ताग्रा: पर्वता इव भारत
śaraiḥ kanakapudkhaiś ca citrā rejur gajottamāḥ | ulkābhiḥ sampradīptāgrāḥ parvatā iva bhārata bharatanandana ||
Wika ni Sanjaya: O Bhārata, ligaya ng angkan ng Bharata! Ang pinakamahuhusay na elepante, pinalamutian sa sari-saring paraan, ay nagningning nang tamaan ng mga palasong may gintong balahibo; nagmistula silang mga bundok na ang mga tuktok ay nagliliyab sa bagsik ng mga bulalakaw.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers no direct moral injunction; its ethical force lies in contrast: the grandeur of poetic imagery highlights the tragic inversion of dharma in war, where majestic elephants become radiant only through wounds, reminding the listener that beauty in battle often masks suffering.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: elephants, decorated and prominent in the armies, are being struck by arrows with golden fletching, and their appearance is compared to mountains whose peaks blaze with meteors.