Shloka 16
Ulūpī–Citravāhinī Saṃvāda: Dhanaṃjaya-patana and Prāya-threat
परमार्चितमुच्छित्य ध्वजं सिंहं हिरण्मयम् | प्रययौ पार्थमुद्दिश्य स राजा बभ्रुवाहन:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | paramārcitam ucchitya dhvajaṁ siṁhaṁ hiraṇmayam | prayayau pārtham uddiśya sa rājā babhruvāhanaḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：他高举那面至为尊崇的金色旗幡，其上绘有狮子之徽；巴布鲁瓦诃那王遂启程，志在迎战帕尔塔（阿周那）。此颂凸显王者出战前的庄严筹备——外在的华贵与武备的齐整，皆指向那场关乎命运的相逢，考验着义务、血脉与克制。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
External grandeur—gold, banners, royal emblems—signals readiness and honor, but the deeper ethical weight lies in intention and duty: a kṣatriya advances to a confrontation that must be governed by dharma, not mere pride.
The narrator describes King Babhruvāhana setting out to meet Arjuna in battle, marked by a raised golden banner with a lion emblem—an image of formal martial challenge and royal resolve.