Shloka 5

Devanagari script

श्रीमतः पाण्डवान्‌ दृष्टवा ज्वलत: पावकानिव । मुहूर्तमिव च ध्यात्वा सरोष: पृथिवीपति:,वहाँ प्रज॒जलित अग्नियोंके समान तेजस्वी श्रीसम्पन्न पाण्डवोंको देखकर पृथ्वीपति विराटने दो घड़ीतक मन-ही-मन कुछ विचार किया। फिर वे कुपित होकर देवताके समान स्थित मरुदगणोंसे घिरे हुए देवराज इन्द्रके तुल्य सुशोभित कंकसे बोले--

Transliteration

śrīmataḥ pāṇḍavān dṛṣṭvā jvalataḥ pāvakān iva | muhūrtam iva ca dhyātvā saroṣaḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ |

Translation

Als König Virāṭa, Herr der Erde, die ruhmreichen Pāṇḍavas sah, die wie Feuer loderten, verharrte er einen Augenblick in innerem Nachsinnen. Dann, als Zorn in ihm aufstieg, sprach er zu Kaṅka, der wie Indra inmitten von Gefolgsleuten, gleich Scharen der Maruts, erstrahlte.

Word by Word

श्रीमतःprosperous, illustrious

पाण्डवान्the Pandavas

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

ज्वलतःblazing

पावकान्fires

इवlike, as

मुहूर्तम्for a moment

इवas if

चand

ध्यात्वाhaving reflected

सरोषःangry

पृथिवीपतिःthe king (lord of the earth)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Pāṇḍavas

Virāṭa (pṛthivīpati)

Fire (pāvaka)

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 highlights a moral tension central to dharma in governance: a ruler must pause to reflect (dhyātvā) before acting, yet strong emotion (saroṣaḥ) can quickly overtake judgment when confronted with extraordinary power (tejas). It implicitly values deliberation, while also showing how perception of threat can provoke reactive speech and decisions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that King Virāṭa sees the Pāṇḍavas shining fiercely like flames. He thinks for a brief moment and then becomes angry, preparing to speak—setting up a charged exchange that follows, driven by Virāṭa’s reaction to their formidable presence.