Shloka 27
Adhyāya 61: Saṃmohana-astra and the Kuru Withdrawal (संमोहनास्त्रं तथा कुरुनिवृत्तिः)
अहं पारे समुद्रस्य हिरण्यपुरवासिनाम् । जित्वा षष्टिं सहस्राणि रथिनामुग्रधन्विनाम्
ahaṃ pāre samudrasya hiraṇyapuravāsinām | jitvā ṣaṣṭiṃ sahasrāṇi rathinām ugradhanvinām ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Einst überschritt ich den Ozean und, nachdem ich die Bewohner von Hiraṇyapura bezwungen hatte, schlug ich sechzigtausend Wagenkrieger — Bogenschützen von furchterregender Macht.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial achievement is invoked as authority in epic discourse, while implicitly reminding that strength and conquest gain meaning only when aligned with dharma and responsible use of power.
The speaker reports a past exploit: crossing beyond the ocean to Hiraṇyapura and defeating its formidable forces—sixty thousand chariot-mounted archers—presented as a recollection of extraordinary victory.