Shloka 3
शान्ति पर्व (अध्याय 38): युधिष्ठिरस्य राजधर्म-जिज्ञासा तथा भीष्मोपसर्पण-प्रस्तावना | Shanti Parva Chapter 38: Yudhishthira’s Inquiry into Rajadharma and the Prelude to Approaching Bhishma
गृहाणि राजमार्गेषु रत्नवन्ति महान्ति च । प्राकम्पन्तेव भारेण स्त्रीणां पूर्णानि भारत,भरतनन्दन! सड़कोंके आस-पास जो रत्नविभूषित विशाल भवन थे, वे स्त्रियोंसे भरे होने के कारण उनके भारी भारसे काँपते हुए-से जान पड़ते थे
gṛhāṇi rājamārgeṣu ratnavanti mahānti ca | prākampanteva bhāreṇa strīṇāṃ pūrṇāni bhārata bharatanandana ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Entlang der Königsstraßen schienen die großen, mit Edelsteinen geschmückten Herrenhäuser zu beben, o Bhārata, Wonne der Bharatas, denn sie waren voller Frauen und schwankten unter der Last des Gedränges.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how outward prosperity and grandeur can mask inner instability: even magnificent, jewel-adorned buildings appear to shake when crowded. In ethical terms, it suggests that social and political moments draw collective attention and pressure, revealing the fragility beneath displays of wealth.
The narrator describes a bustling royal roadway scene: large, jewel-decorated mansions near the road are packed with women watching events, and the buildings seem to tremble from the sheer weight and crowding—conveying a tense, crowded urban spectacle around the king’s route.