Shloka 17

भीमसेन-दुर्योधन-समागमः

Bhīmasena–Duryodhana Engagement at Sunset

Devanagari script

शक्तीनां विमलाग्राणां तोमराणां तथास्यताम्‌ | निस्त्रिंशानां च पीतानां नीलोत्पलनि भा: प्रभा:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | śaktīnāṃ vimalāgrāṇāṃ tomarāṇāṃ tathāsyatām | nistriṃśānāṃ ca pītānāṃ nīlotpalanibhāḥ prabhāḥ ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：那些枪矛尖端洁净无瑕、锋利如新；投掷而出的投枪（tomara）划破长空；明亮闪烁的宝剑放射寒光——其辉耀宛如青莲之光。此乃兵刃所生的惊心之美，仿佛预示着这场大战将付出的沉重道德代价。

Word by Word

• शक्तीनाम्: of spears/lances (shaktis)
• शक्तीनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• विमलाग्राणाम्: of those having spotless points
• विमलाग्राणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमलाग्र
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• तोमराणाम्: of javelins (tomaras)
• तोमराणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोमर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• तथा: and likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• अस्यताम्: being hurled/thrown
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (क्षेपणे)
• Form: Present, Passive (Karmani), Third, Plural

• निस्त्रिंशानाम्: of swords
• निस्त्रिंशानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निस्त्रिंश
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पीतानाम्: of bright/shining (lit. yellowish) ones
• पीतानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीत
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• नीलोत्पलनिभाः: resembling blue lotuses
• नीलोत्पलनिभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नीलोत्पलनिभ
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रभाः: splendors/gleams
• प्रभाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• śakti (spear/lance weapon)
• tomara (javelin weapon)
• nistriṃśa (sword)
• nīlotpala (blue lotus)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata tension: even when war appears visually magnificent, it remains an arena of destruction. The poetic beauty of the weapons’ radiance implicitly contrasts with the ethical gravity of the coming slaughter, reminding the listener not to confuse splendour with righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: spears with sharp points, javelins being hurled, and gleaming swords. Their collective shine is compared to the glow of blue lotuses, intensifying the vividness and momentum of the combat.