Shloka 22
सुखारोहणसोपानान् महासनपरिच्छदान् । स्रग्दामसमवच्छन्नानुत्तमागुरुगन्धिन:,उनमें सुखपूर्वक ऊपर चढ़नेके लिये सीढ़ियाँ बनी हुई थीं। उन महलोंके भीतर बहुमूल्य एवं बड़े-बड़े आसन तथा अन्य आवश्यक सामान थे। उन घरोंको मालाओंसे सजाया गया था। उनमें उत्तम अगुरुकी सुगन्ध व्याप्त हो रही थी
sukhārohaṇa-sopānān mahāsana-paricchadān | sragdāma-samavacchannān uttamāguru-gandhinaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “They had stairways designed for comfortable ascent. Within those mansions were splendid, costly great seats and the requisite furnishings. The houses were adorned with garlands and festoons, and the finest fragrance of agaru pervaded them.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily functions as courtly description (varṇana), highlighting the opulence and refined comfort of royal dwellings. Ethically, it can be read as a reminder that material magnificence—comfort, adornment, fragrance—forms the backdrop of power and can intensify attachment and pride, themes that later drive conflict in the Sabha narrative.
Vaiśampāyana is describing the luxurious residences/palatial interiors: easy stairways, grand seats and furnishings, floral decorations, and the pervasive scent of premium agaru, setting the scene of extraordinary prosperity in the Sabha Parva context.