Shloka 5
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 58 — Saṃjaya’s Audience and Kṛṣṇa’s Deterrent Counsel (संजय-प्रवेशः कृष्णवाक्यं च)
उभौ मध्वासवक्षीबावुभौ चन्दनरूषितौ | स्रग्विणौ वरवस्त्रौ तौ दिव्याभरणभूषितौ
sañjaya uvāca | ubhau madhvāsavakṣībāvu bhau candanarūṣitau | sragviṇau varavastrau tau divyābharaṇabhūṣitau ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Beide, nachdem sie süßen Met und Wein getrunken hatten, waren von Freude berauscht. Ihre Körper waren mit Sandelpaste gesalbt; sie trugen feine Gewänder und Blumengirlanden und waren mit prächtigen, gleichsam göttlichen Schmuckstücken geziert.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse paints a deliberate contrast: outward splendor and intoxicated pleasure can coexist with, and even obscure, the seriousness of impending ethical and political choices. It invites reflection on how indulgence and display may dull discernment (viveka) when dharma-demanding decisions are near.
Sañjaya describes two companions (friends) in a festive, luxurious state—drinking sweet liquor, anointed with sandal paste, wearing garlands and fine clothes, and decorated with ornaments—setting a courtly mood within the Udyoga Parva’s broader context of negotiations and preparations leading toward war.