Shloka 20
Āśramāgamanam — The Pāṇḍavas Arrive at Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Hermitage
तदुत्सवमहोदग्र॑ हृष्टनारीनराकुलम् । आश्चर्यभूतं ददृशे चित्रं पटगतं यथा,वह हर्षोत्फुल्ल नर-नारियोंसे भरा हुआ महान् आश्चर्यजनक उत्सव कपड़ेपर अंकित किये गये चित्रकी भाँति दिखायी देता था
tad utsava-mahodagraṁ hṛṣṭa-nārī-narākulam | āścarya-bhūtaṁ dadṛśe citraṁ paṭa-gataṁ yathā ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Jenes große Fest—hoch aufragend in seinem Glanz und dicht erfüllt von frohlockenden Frauen und Männern—erschien wundersam, wie ein Bild, das auf ein Tuch gemalt ist.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power of perception and collective emotion: a joyful public event can appear so perfectly arranged and vivid that it resembles a painted tableau. In the Mahābhārata’s late-parva atmosphere, such beauty also subtly points to the fleeting, constructed nature of worldly scenes.
Vaiśampāyana describes a magnificent celebration, densely filled with happy men and women. He emphasizes its extraordinary visual impact by comparing it to a picture painted on cloth.