Shloka 27
Vāraṇāvata-praveśa and Jatugṛha-saṃdeha
Entry into Vāraṇāvata and Suspicion of the Lac-House
तत् कुमारबलं तत्र गृहीतशरकार्मुकम् । गन्धर्वनगराकार प्रेक्ष्य ते विस्मिताभवन्,धनुष-बाण लिये हुए राजकुमारोंके उस समुदायको गन्धर्वनगरके समान अद्भुत देख वहाँ समस्त दर्शक आश्चर्यचकित हो गये
tat kumārabalaṁ tatra gṛhītaśarakārmukam | gandharvanagarākāraṁ prekṣya te vismitābhavan ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „Als man dort jene Schar von Prinzen sah, den Bogen in der Hand und die Pfeile fest ergriffen, wundersam wie eine himmlische Gandharva-Stadt, da wurden alle Zuschauer von Staunen ergriffen.“
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the awe inspired by disciplined strength and preparedness in royal youths, while implicitly reminding that such power, though admirable, must later be governed by dharma and self-restraint to avoid destructive outcomes.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes the spectators’ reaction upon seeing a gathered troop of princes holding bows and arrows; their splendid, almost otherworldly appearance is compared to a celestial Gandharva-city, causing widespread astonishment.