Shloka 65
Kailāsa-darśana, Badarī-vāsa, and Sarasvatī–Dvaitavana Transition (कैलासदर्शन–बदरीवास–सरस्वतीद्वैतवनगमनम्)
न बभौ दानवपुरं हतत्विट्कं हतेश्वरम् गन्धर्वनगराकारं हतनागमिव हृदम्
na babhau dānavapuraṁ hatatviṭkaṁ hateśvaram gandharvanagarākāraṁ hatanāgam iva hṛdam
Arjuna sprach: „Die Stadt der Dānavas glänzte nicht mehr — ihr Glanz war vernichtet und ihr Herr erschlagen. Sie glich einer Gandharva-Stadt, einem bloßen Trugbild; wie ein See, nachdem seine große Schlange getötet wurde, lag sie leer da, beraubt des einstigen Schreckens und der Lebenskraft.“
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly power and splendor: when the sustaining force (the ruler/guardian) is removed, what seemed formidable becomes hollow, like an illusion. It implicitly cautions against pride in external grandeur and points to the swift collapse that follows adharma and violence.
Arjuna describes the aftermath of a decisive defeat: the Dānava city, once radiant and fearsome, has lost its brilliance and leadership. He uses two similes—an illusory Gandharva-city and a lake after its great serpent is slain—to convey a scene of emptied power and diminished presence.