Shloka 22
अर्जुनस्य दिग्विजयारम्भः — Arjuna Initiates the Northern Campaign and Secures Bhagadattta’s Tribute
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत सभापव॑के अन्तर्गत जरासंधवधपर्वमें जरासंधका युद्धके लिये उद्योगविषयक बाईसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,शूद्राश्न नरशार्दूल स्त्रियो वृद्धाश्व सर्वशः । निरन्तरम भूत् तत्र जनौघैरभिसंवृतम् जनमेजय! उस समय उनका मल्लयुद्ध देखनेके लिये हजारों पुरवासी ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय, वैश्य, शूद्र, स्त्रियाँ एवं वृद्ध इकट्ठे हो गये। मनुष्योंकी अपार भीड़से वह स्थान ठसाठस भर गया
śūdrāś ca naraśārdūla striyo vṛddhāś ca sarvaśaḥ | nirantaraṁ abhūt tatra janaughair abhisamvṛtam janamejaya ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O tiger among men, Janamejaya, people of every sort—Śūdras, women, and the aged as well—gathered there without exception. That place became continuously packed and completely enclosed by surging crowds of people, eager to witness the wrestlers’ combat.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how public fascination with displays of strength draws all sections of society together, suggesting an ethical tension: collective excitement can normalize violence as spectacle, even while it reveals the social unity of a shared civic moment.
Vaiśampāyana describes to King Janamejaya that an immense crowd—women, Śūdras, and the elderly among them—has assembled, and the venue becomes densely packed as people gather to watch the impending wrestling combat.