Shloka 16
Vāraṇāvata-praveśa and Jatugṛha-saṃdeha
Entry into Vāraṇāvata and Suspicion of the Lac-House
हर्षादारुरुहुर्मज्चान् मेरुं देवस्त्रियो यथा । ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियाद्यं च चातुर्वर्ण्य पुराद् द्रतम्,विजयी वीरोंमें श्रेष्ठ जनमेजय! परम सौभाग्यशालिनी गान्धारी, कुन्ती तथा राजभवनकी सभी स्ट्रियाँ वस्त्राभूषणोंस सज-धजकर दास-दासियों और आवश्यक सामग्रियोंके साथ उस भवनमें आयीं तथा जैसे देवांगनाएँ मेरुपर्वतपर चढ़ती हैं, उसी प्रकार वे हर्षपूर्वक मंचोंपर चढ़ गयीं। ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय आदि चारों वर्णोके लोग कुमारोंका अस्त्र- कौशल देखनेकी इच्छासे तुरंत नगरसे निकलकर आ गये। क्षणभरमें वहाँ विशाल जनसमुदाय एकत्र हो गया
harṣād āruruhur majcān meruṁ devastriyo yathā | brāhmaṇakṣatriyādyaṁ ca cāturvarṇyaṁ purād drutam ||
Out of joy, they climbed up onto the platforms, just as celestial women ascend Mount Meru. And the people of the four social orders—beginning with brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas—hurried out from the city at once, eager to witness the princes’ display of martial skill; in a moment, a vast crowd gathered there.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how royal rites and public events are embedded in social norms: the fourfold community participates according to established order, and the training of future rulers is treated as a matter of collective importance. Ethically, it suggests that power and kingship are expected to be publicly accountable through demonstrated competence, not merely inherited status.
In the context of the princes’ exhibition of weapon-skill, women of the royal household ascend the viewing platforms in delight, compared to celestial women climbing Mount Meru. Meanwhile, people from all four varṇas rush out of the city to watch, and a large crowd quickly assembles.