नानारूपै रत्नचित्रैर् वरूथध्वजकार्मुकैः ॥
वाजिध्वजपताकाभिश् चित्रैश् चित्रो ऽभ्यवर्तत ॥
ये तु पुष्करपत्रस्य तुल्यवर्णा हयोत्तमाः ॥
ते रोचमानस्य सुतं हेमवर्णम् उदावहन् ॥
योधाश् च भद्रकाराश् च शरदण्डानुदण्डजाः ॥
श्वेताण्डाः कुक्कुटाण्डाभा दण्डकेतुम् उदावहन् ॥
nānārūpai ratnacitrair varūthadhvajakārmukaiḥ ||
vājidhvajapatākābhiś citraiś citro 'bhyavartata ||
ye tu puṣkarapatrasya tulyavarṇā hayottamāḥ ||
te rocamānasya sutaṃ hemavarṇam udāvahan ||
yodhāś ca bhadrakārāś ca śaradaṇḍānudaṇḍajāḥ ||
śvetāṇḍāḥ kukkuṭāṇḍābhā daṇḍaketum udāvahan ||
With varied shields, banners, and bows variegated with gems, with horse-crests and pennants — all variegated — the variegated warrior advanced. Those same excellent horses, of the hue of a lotus leaf, bore the golden son of Rochamana. And the fighters and the Bhadrakaras, born of Sharadanda and Anudanda, were borne by horses white-egg-marked, the color of a hen's egg, bearing Dandaketu.
c6ae5b3ac43e · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:11:21 PM UTC
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The review draws to its close, and still the colors flow: the variegated warrior amid gems, the golden son of Rochamana, horses the color of a lotus leaf and of a hen's egg. Even the humblest comparison — a plain egg — is put to use, for the tradition seeks not grandeur but precision, finding the true shade for everything. It is telling that even the unremarkable serves as a comparison, if it is apt. The verse teaches that attentive speech does not disdain a plain image when it is true; that the beauty of observation lies in precision, not in loftiness; and that the world, seen with clear eyes, shows its colors everywhere — in a gem, in a lotus leaf, in an eggshell — for to a loving gaze no thing is too small to be noticed.