Shloka 9
द्रोणेन दुर्योधनस्य कवचबन्धनम् — Drona’s Mantra-Bound Armor for Duryodhana
तस्य संस्तम्भिता हयाप: समुद्रमभियास्यत: । पर्वताश्न ददुर्मार्ग ध्वजभड़श्च नाभवत्,राजा पृथु जब समुद्रमें यात्रा करते थे, तब पानी थम जाता था और पर्वत उन्हें जानेके लिये मार्ग दे देते थे। उनके रथकी ध्वजा कभी खण्डित नहीं हुई थी
tasya saṁstambhitā hayāpaḥ samudram abhiyāsyataḥ | parvatāś ca dadur mārgaṁ dhvajabhaṅgaś ca nābhavat |
Nārada said: “When King Pṛthu set out to cross the ocean, the waters themselves became still and restrained; even the mountains yielded him a passage. The banner upon his chariot was never broken.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ideal of dharmic kingship: a ruler established in righteousness generates harmony so strong that even nature appears to cooperate—symbolized by the stilled ocean, yielding mountains, and an unbroken banner (an auspicious sign of unimpaired authority and merit).
Nārada describes King Pṛthu’s extraordinary journey toward/over the ocean: the waters are restrained, mountains provide a route, and his chariot’s standard never breaks—depicting his exceptional power and auspicious fortune rooted in virtue.