Shloka 7
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 18: सेनानिनादः, ध्वज-दीप्तिः, भीष्मरक्षण-व्यवस्था च
Battle Muster: Soundscape, Banners, and the Protection of Bhīṣma
स्वेषां चैव परेषां च समदृश्यन्त भारत । महेन्द्रकेतव: शुभ्रा महेन्द्रसदनेष्विव,भारत! अपनी और शत्रुकी सेनाके चमकीले ध्वज इन्द्रभवनमें फहरानेवाले देवेन्द्रके ध्वजोंके समान दिखायी देते थे
sveṣāṁ caiva pareṣāṁ ca samadṛśyanta bhārata | mahendraketavaḥ śubhrā mahendrasadaneṣv iva ||
噢，婆罗多啊，我军与敌军那明亮洁白的旗帜看起来竟无二致——宛如因陀罗在其天宫殿堂中飘扬的灿然旌幡。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how external grandeur in war can look equally impressive on both sides, reminding the listener that moral discernment (dharma) is not determined by spectacle or power but by righteousness and intention.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: the armies’ shining banners—both Kaurava and Pāṇḍava—appear splendid and comparable, evoked through a simile to Indra’s radiant standards in his heavenly palace.