Shloka 32

Devanagari script

क्षरन्त इव जीमूता महार्हा: पद्मगन्धिन: । राजानमन्वयु: पश्चाज्जीमूता इव वार्षिका:,राजा युधिष्ठिरके पीछे वर्षाकालके मेघोंकी भाँति तथा पर्वतोंके समान ऊँचे-ऊँचे दस हजार गजराज जा रहे थे। उनके गण्डस्थलसे फूटकर मदकी धारा बह रही थी। वे सोनेकी जालीदार झूलोंसे उद्दीप्त हो रहे थे। उनमें शौर्य भरा था। वे मेघोंके समान मदकी बूँदें बरसाते थे। उनसे कमलके समान सुगन्ध निकलती थी और वे सभी बहुमूल्य थे

Transliteration

kṣaranta iva jīmūtā mahārhāḥ padmagandhinaḥ | rājānam anvayuḥ paścāj jīmūtā iva vārṣikāḥ ||

Translation

জল ঝরানো মেঘের মতো, পদ্মগন্ধী ও অতি মূল্যবান গজরাজরা রাজা যুধিষ্ঠিরের পশ্চাতে অনুসরণ করল। তারা যেন বর্ষার মেঘ—মদধারা ঝরিয়ে—রাজশ্রী ও সামরিক শক্তিকে প্রকাশ করছিল।

Word by Word

क्षरन्तःshedding, dripping

इवlike, as if

जीमूताःclouds

महार्हाःvery valuable, precious

पद्मगन्धिनःlotus-fragrant

राजानम्the king

अन्वयुःfollowed

पश्चात्behind, afterwards

जीमूताःclouds

इवlike, as if

वार्षिकाःrainy-season (ones)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

King Yudhiṣṭhira

elephants (gajarāja)

monsoon clouds (jīmūta/vārṣika)

lotus (padma)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic kingship expressed through ordered strength: power and wealth (symbolized by precious, fragrant war-elephants) are meaningful when aligned behind a righteous ruler, suggesting that might should serve dharma rather than ego.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the procession behind Yudhiṣṭhira: valuable elephants, compared to monsoon clouds, follow him. The simile evokes both grandeur and the imminence of battle, as the elephants’ musth and mass resemble clouds heavy with rain.