Shloka 32
Chapter 19: Prativyūha of the Pāṇḍavas — Vajra (Acala) Formation and Dawn Omens
क्षरन्त इव जीमूता महार्हा: पद्मगन्धिन: । राजानमन्वयु: पश्चाज्जीमूता इव वार्षिका:
kṣaranta iva jīmūtā mahārhāḥ padmagandhinaḥ | rājānam anvayuḥ paścāj jīmūtā iva vārṣikāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Like rain-bearing clouds shedding their waters, precious elephants, fragrant as lotuses, followed behind King Yudhiṣṭhira—like monsoon clouds in their season. The image underscores royal dignity and martial readiness: wealth and power move in disciplined order behind the dharmic king, while the war’s approach is felt in the very “monsoon” of musth and might.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic kingship expressed through ordered strength: power and wealth (symbolized by precious, fragrant war-elephants) are meaningful when aligned behind a righteous ruler, suggesting that might should serve dharma rather than ego.
Sañjaya describes the procession behind Yudhiṣṭhira: valuable elephants, compared to monsoon clouds, follow him. The simile evokes both grandeur and the imminence of battle, as the elephants’ musth and mass resemble clouds heavy with rain.