Shloka 7
Droṇa’s Cakra-Śakaṭa Vyūha and the Protection of Jayadratha (द्रोणकृतः चक्रशकटव्यूहः)
देवारण्येषु सर्वेषु विजहारामरोपम: । आत्मन: कामचारेण द्वितीय इव वासव:,देवासुरसंग्राम छिड़ जानेपर उन्होंने देवताओंकी सहायता करके नाना प्रकारके यज्ञोंद्वारा परमात्माका यजन किया और इस सारी पृथ्वीको चार भागोंमें विभक्त करके उसे ऋत्विज, अध्वर्यु, होता तथा उदगाता--इन चार प्रकारके ब्राह्मणोंको बाँट दिया। फिर शुक्रकन्या देवयानी और दानवराजकी पुत्री शर्मिष्ठाके गर्भसे धर्मतः उत्तम संतान उत्पन्न करके वे देवोपम नरेश दूसरे इन्द्रकी भाँति समस्त देवकाननोंमें अपनी इच्छाके अनुसार विहार करते रहे
devāraṇyeṣu sarveṣu vijahārāmaropamaḥ | ātmanaḥ kāmacāreṇa dvitīya iva vāsavaḥ ||
Nārada said: Resembling a god, he roamed and sported in all the divine forests, moving freely according to his own desire—like a second Indra. In the wider narrative, this line highlights the king’s exalted, almost celestial status gained through righteous conduct and meritorious acts, portraying prosperity and freedom as the fruit of dharma rather than mere power.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the image of ‘a second Indra’ to suggest that true eminence and freedom are outcomes of dharmic life and accumulated merit. Ethical kingship is portrayed as producing inner and outer sovereignty—self-directed movement (kāmacāra) grounded in righteousness rather than indulgence.
Nārada describes a king (spoken of in the surrounding passage) as godlike, wandering through divine groves at will, comparable to Indra. The line functions as a poetic culmination of his elevated status and well-earned prosperity.