Shloka 22

अर्जुनस्योत्तरदिग्विजयः

Arjuna’s Northern Conquests and Tribute Collection

Devanagari script

असज़्े देवविहितस्तस्मिन्‌ रथवरे ध्वज: । योजनाद्‌ ददृशे श्रीमानिन्द्रायुधसमप्रभ:

Transliteration

asaktaḥ devavihitas tasmin rathavare dhvajaḥ | yojanād dadṛśe śrīmān indrāyudhasamaprabhaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Upon that excellent chariot there stood a banner, fashioned by the gods and yet unattached—waving as if without any support. Splendid and many-hued, radiant like Indra’s rainbow, it could be seen from a full yojana away.

Word by Word

• {'asaktaḥ': 'unattached, not clinging

• not fastened', 'devavihitaḥ': 'ordained/made by the gods

• divinely fashioned', 'tasmin': 'on that

• in that (context/location)', 'rathavare': 'on the excellent chariot (ratha-vara)', 'dhvajaḥ': 'banner, standard, flag', 'yojanāt': 'from a yojana (a long distance measure)', 'dadṛśe': 'was seen

• appeared (perfect/passive sense)', 'śrīmān': 'splendid, glorious, auspicious', 'indrāyudha': 'Indra’s weapon

• commonly ‘rainbow’', 'samaprabhaḥ': 'having equal/similar radiance

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• dhvaja (banner/standard)
• ratha (chariot)
• Indra
• indrāyudha (rainbow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how symbols of rulership—like a banner—are portrayed as divinely sanctioned and awe-inspiring. Such imagery communicates legitimacy and the moral weight of sovereignty, suggesting that public signs of power are meant to reflect (or claim) alignment with cosmic order.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes an extraordinary chariot’s banner: it is divinely made, appears unattached while waving, shines like a rainbow, and is visible from a great distance—emphasizing the grandeur and portent surrounding the figure associated with that chariot.