Shloka 20
Kuru-Sainika-Āśvāsana and Vijayaghoṣaṇa
Reassuring the Kuru Soldiers; Proclaiming Victory
तीक्षणशस्त्रमहाग्राहां क्रव्यादगणसेविताम् । मुक्ताहारोरमिकलिलां चित्रालंकारबुद्बुदाम्
tīkṣṇaśastramahāgrāhāṁ kravyādagaṇasevitām | muktāhāroramikalilāṁ citrālaṅkārabudbudām ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Es erschien wie eine gefährliche Wasserweite, in der scharfe Waffen wie große Krokodile waren; und sie wurde von Scharen fleischfressender Kreaturen heimgesucht. Perlenketten wirkten wie rollende Wellen, und mancherlei Schmuck wie Blasen, die im Wasser aufsteigen.“ Das Bild unterstreicht die Atmosphäre von Gefahr und Raub: äußerer Glanz (Perlen und Schmuck) überdeckt eine innere Wirklichkeit aus Gewalt und Tod.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches discernment: dazzling external beauty (pearls, ornaments) can coexist with, or even mask, lethal danger (weapons, predators). Ethically, it warns against being captivated by surface splendor when the underlying reality is violent or corrupt.
Vaiśampāyana describes a frightening scene through metaphor: sharp weapons are likened to huge crocodiles, carnivorous beings are said to inhabit the place, and pearls and ornaments are compared to waves and bubbles—creating a vivid picture of a dangerous environment that nonetheless appears glittering.