Shloka 9

Khāṇḍava-dāha: Indra’s Countermeasures and the Nāga Aśvasena’s Escape (आदि पर्व, अध्याय २१८)

Devanagari script

रौक्मिणेयश्न साम्बश्न क्षीबौ समरदुर्मदौ | दिव्यमाल्याम्बरधरौ विजद्वातेडमराविव,युद्धमें दुर्मद वीरवर प्रद्युम्म और साम्ब दिव्य मालाएँ तथा दिव्य वस्त्र धारण करके आनन्दसे उन्मत्त हो देवताओंकी भाँति विहार करते थे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

raukmiṇeyaś ca sāmbaś ca kṣībau samaradurmadau |

divyamālyāmbaradharau vijadvatāmarāv iva ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Pradyumna (Sohn der Rukmiṇī) und Sāmba, berauscht vor Hochgefühl und durch die Schlacht zu wildem Stolz gesteigert, trugen göttliche Kränze und prächtige Gewänder und wandelten froh umher wie die Götter selbst. Der Vers hebt die riskante Siegestrunkenheit hervor, in der sich heldische Kraft leicht in Übermut verwandelt.

Word by Word

रौक्मिणेयःRukmiṇī’s son (Pradyumna)

चand

साम्बःSāmba

चand

क्षीबौintoxicated, exhilarated

समर-दुर्मदौarrogant in battle / hard to subdue in battle

दिव्य-माल्य-अम्बर-धरौwearing divine garlands and garments

विजद्वात-इडमरौVijadvāta and Iḍamara (as read in the given text)

इवlike, as

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pradyumna (Raukmiṇeya)

Sāmba

Devas (Amarāḥ)

Divine garlands (divya-mālya)

Divine garments (divya-ambara)

Battle/war (samara)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse implicitly warns that success in war can intoxicate even great heroes; ethical strength lies not only in valor but in restraint after victory, when pride and revelry can cloud judgment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes Pradyumna and Sāmba after (or amid) martial success: exhilarated and overconfident, adorned with splendid garlands and clothing, they roam about joyfully, compared to gods in their carefree splendor.