Shloka 13

Devanagari script

पर्वतानां यथा मेरु: सुपर्ण: पक्षिणां यथा । कुमार इव देवानां वसूनामिव हव्यवाट्‌,'जैसे किरणोंवाले तेजस्वी पदार्थोंके सूर्य, वृक्ष और ओषधियोंके चन्द्रमा, यक्षोंके कुबेर, देवताओंके इन्द्र, पर्वतोंके मेरु, पक्षियोंके गरुड़, समस्त देवयोनियोंके कार्तिकिय और वसुओंके अग्निदेव अधिपति एवं संरक्षक हैं (उसी प्रकार आप हमारी समस्त सेनाओंके अधिनायक और संरक्षक हों)

Transliteration

parvatānāṁ yathā meruḥ suparṇaḥ pakṣiṇāṁ yathā | kumāra iva devānāṁ vasūnām iva havyavāṭ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Wie Meru unter den Bergen den Vorrang hat, Suparṇa (Garuḍa) unter den Vögeln, Kumāra (Kārttikeya) unter den Göttern und Havyavāṭ (Agni) unter den Vasus—so sei auch du der Befehlshaber und Beschützer all unserer Heere.“

Word by Word

पर्वतानाम्of mountains

यथाas/just as

मेरुःMeru (the chief mountain)

सुपर्णःSuparṇa (Garuḍa)

पक्षिणाम्of birds

यथाas/just as

कुमारःKumāra (Skanda/Kārttikeya)

इवlike/as

देवानाम्of the gods

वसूनाम्of the Vasus

इवlike/as

हव्यवाट्Havyavāṭ (Agni, receiver of oblations)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Meru

Suparṇa (Garuḍa)

Kumāra (Kārttikeya/Skanda)

Vasus

Havyavāṭ (Agni)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses well-known divine and cosmic exemplars of supremacy and guardianship to frame an ethical ideal of command: a leader should be foremost in excellence and steadfast in protection of those entrusted to him.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s mobilization context, the speaker (as narrated by Vaiśampāyana) conveys a formal praise and request: the addressed person is urged to become the chief commander and protector of the assembled forces, likened to Meru, Garuḍa, Kārttikeya, and Agni in their respective domains.