Shloka 52
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
चन्दनागुरुपड्काक्तां प्रमदामीप्सितामिव । वसामेदोपदिग्धाज़ीं जिह्दां वैवस्चतीमिव
candana-aguru-paṅkāktāṃ pramadām īpsitām iva | vasā-medo-padigdhāṃ jīhvāṃ vaivasvatīm iva ||
三阇耶说道：它仿佛是一位令人渴慕的爱侣，身涂檀香与沉香；然而实则遍抹脂膏与骨髓，望之骇然，如同毗婆斯伐多（阎摩）之舌。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical revulsion of war through stark contrast: the language of adornment (sandal, aloe, beloved woman) is inverted to reveal the reality of bloodshed (fat and marrow), reminding the listener that violence corrupts even what appears splendid.
Sañjaya is describing a terrifying sight on the battlefield—something (contextually a fearsome weapon or object) coated with bodily substances—using powerful similes: outwardly like a perfumed beloved, but truly dreadful like Yama’s tongue, emphasizing the scene’s deathly menace.