Shloka 5
Plakṣaprasravaṇa–Kārapacana tīrtha-varṇana and Nārada’s war briefing (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 53)
इन्द्र वाच किमिदं वर्तते राजन् प्रयत्नेन परेण च । राजर्षे किमभिप्रेतं येनेयं कृष्यते क्षिति:,इन्द्रने प्रश्न किया--राजन्! यह महान् प्रयत्नके साथ क्या हो रहा है? राजर्ष! आप क्या चाहते हैं, जिसके कारण यह भूमि जोत रहे हैं?
indra uvāca: kim idaṃ vartate rājan prayatnena pareṇa ca | rājarṣe kim abhipretaṃ yeneyaṃ kṛṣyate kṣitiḥ ||
Indra sprach: „O König, was geschieht hier mit solch außerordentlicher Anstrengung? O königlicher Weiser, was beabsichtigst du, dass diese Erde gepflügt wird?“
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical scrutiny of action: intense effort should be guided by a clear, worthy intention. Indra’s questioning models dharmic evaluation—asking not only what is being done, but why it is being done.
Indra addresses a king (also styled a rājarṣi) and, seeing the earth being ploughed with great exertion, asks the reason and intended goal behind this unusual undertaking.