Shloka 29
Yudhiṣṭhira–Droṇa Saṃgrāma
Engagement and Countermeasures
पुण्याश्रमवतीं रम्यां मनोज्ञाण्डजसेविताम् । मन्दरस्य प्रदेशांश्व॒ किन्नरोदुगीतनादितान्,अनेक पवित्र आश्रमोंसे युक्त और मनोहर पक्षियोंसे सेवित रमणीय गंगानदीका दर्शन करते हुए आगे बढ़नेपर उन्हें मन्दराचलके प्रदेश दिखायी दिये, जो किन्नरोंके उच्चस्वरसे गाये हुए मधुर गीतोंसे मुखरित हो रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | puṇyāśramavatīṃ ramyāṃ manojñāṇḍajasevitām | mandarasya pradeśāṃś ca kinnarodgītanāditān ||
Sañjaya said: As they proceeded, they beheld the lovely Gaṅgā—adorned with many holy hermitages and frequented by delightful birds. Moving onward, they also saw the regions of Mount Mandara, resonant with the sweet, high songs sung by the Kinnaras. The scene frames the journey through sanctified nature, where sacred places and harmonious music stand in contrast to the surrounding violence of war, reminding the listener that dharma and purity persist even amid conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even within a war narrative, the Mahābhārata repeatedly recalls tīrthas, hermitages, and celestial harmony to affirm that dharma, purity, and sacred order endure; the mind is invited to remember higher values beyond immediate violence.
Sañjaya describes a forward movement in which the travelers/army behold the Gaṅgā lined with holy hermitages and birds, and then the Mandara regions echoing with Kinnara songs—an evocative scenic passage embedded in the Drona Parva account.