Shloka 56
Śārṅgakānāṃ Avināśaḥ (Why the Śārṅga Birds Were Spared) | शार्ङ्गकानामविनाशः
स महाधनरत्नौघो वस्त्रकम्बलफेनवान् । महागजमहाग्राह: पताकाशैवलाकुल:,जैसे नदियोंके जलका महान प्रवाह समुद्रमें मिलता है, उसी प्रकार वह महान् धन और रत्नोंका भारी प्रवाह, जिसमें वस्त्र और कम्बल फेनके समान जान पड़ते थे, बड़े-बड़े हाथी महान ग्राहोंका भ्रम उत्पन्न करते थे और जहाँ ध्वजा-पताकाएँ सेवारका काम कर रही थीं, पाण्डवरूपी महासागरमें जा मिला। यद्यपि पाण्डव-समुद्र पहलेसे ही परिपूर्ण था तथापि इस महान् धनप्रवाहने उसे और भी पूर्णतर बना दिया। यही कारण था कि वह पाण्डव- महासागर शत्रुओंके लिये शोकदायक प्रतीत होने लगा
sa mahādhanaratnaugho vastrakambalaphenavān | mahāgajamahāgrāhaḥ patākāśaivalākulaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: That mighty torrent of wealth and jewels—where garments and blankets looked like foam, great elephants seemed like huge crocodiles, and banners and pennants were like masses of river-weed—flowed into the ocean-like Pāṇḍavas, just as a great river-current merges into the sea. Though the Pāṇḍava-sea was already full, this influx made it fuller still, and thus it appeared a source of grief to their enemies.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how material resources, when amassed by a righteous and capable side, intensify both stability and perceived threat: prosperity strengthens the Pāṇḍavas and simultaneously becomes a cause of sorrow for hostile rivals. It also illustrates the epic’s ethical realism—power and wealth have consequences in the moral-political arena.
A vast accumulation or influx of riches is being described poetically as a river-like flood entering the ocean-like Pāṇḍavas. The imagery maps textiles to foam, elephants to crocodiles, and flags to water-weeds, emphasizing the scale of the tribute/wealth and its effect of making the Pāṇḍavas even more formidable to enemies.