Shloka 4
Sauptika-parva Adhyāya 13 — Bhīmasena’s Pursuit of Drauṇi and the Release of a Divine Astra
विश्वकर्मकृता दिव्या रत्नधातुविभूषिता । उच्छितेव रथे माया ध्वजयष्टिरदृश्यत,उस रथपर विश्वकर्माद्वारा निर्मित तथा रत्नमय धातुओंसे विभूषित दिव्य ध्वजा दिखायी दे रही थी, जो ऊँचे उठी हुई मायाके समान प्रतीत होती थी
viśvakarmakṛtā divyā ratnadhātuvibhūṣitā | ucchriteva rathe māyā dhvajayaṣṭir adṛśyata ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Upon that chariot there appeared a celestial flagstaff, fashioned by Viśvakarman and adorned with jewel-like metals. Rising high, it seemed like an embodiment of wondrous illusion—an awe-inspiring sign amid the grim aftermath of war, where splendor and destruction stand side by side.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes divine splendor with a war-torn setting, suggesting that outward magnificence (royal and celestial signs) can appear even amid moral collapse and violence; it invites reflection on how power and spectacle may mask or coexist with suffering.
The narrator describes a chariot bearing a lofty, celestial flagstaff crafted by Viśvakarman and ornamented with precious metals, emphasizing its extraordinary, almost illusion-like appearance as a striking visual detail in the Sauptika Parva.