Shloka 43
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
अशोकैश्नम्पकैश्वूतैरनेकैरतिमुक्तकै: । पुन्नागै: कर्णिकारैश्व वकुलैर्दिव्यपाटलै:,राजाका वह वन देवताओंके चैत्ररथ नामक वनके समान शोभा पा रहा था। वसन्तका समय था; अशोक, चम्पा, आम, अतिमुक्तक (माधवीलता), पुन्नाग (नागकेसर), कनेर, मौलसिरी, दिव्य पाटल, पाटल, नारियल, चन्दन तथा अर्जुन--से स्वादिष्ट फलोंसे युक्त, रमणीय तथा पवित्र महावृक्ष उस वनकी शोभा बढ़ा रहे थे। कोकिलाओंके कल-कूजनसे समस्त वन गूँज उठा था। चारों ओर मतवाले भौंरे कल-कल नाद कर रहे थे
aśokaiś campakaiś cūtair anekair atimuktakaiḥ | punnāgaiḥ karṇikāraiś ca vakulair divya-pāṭalaiḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: The king’s forest shone like the divine Caitraratha grove of the gods. It was springtime, and the woodland was adorned with many blossoming trees and creepers—ashoka, campaka, mango, abundant atimuktaka vines, punnāga, karṇikāra, vakula, and heavenly pāṭala—making the place delightful, pure, and auspicious in its atmosphere. The scene evokes a moral contrast typical of the epic: royal power and worldly life are framed against a vision of sacred, divine order, where nature’s harmony reflects prosperity and right governance.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily teaches through aesthetic suggestion: a well-ordered, auspicious natural world is used as a mirror for rightful kingship and prosperity. By likening the king’s forest to the gods’ Caitraratha grove, the narrative implies that harmony, purity, and abundance are signs of a realm aligned with auspicious order.
Vaiśampāyana describes a forest associated with the king, portraying it in springtime splendor. Numerous fragrant and flowering trees and creepers are listed, and the grove is compared to the divine Caitraratha forest of the gods, emphasizing its extraordinary beauty and sanctity.