Shloka 2
Kurukṣetra-anudarśanam — Rāma-hradāḥ and the Question of Kṣatra Continuity (शान्ति पर्व, अध्याय ४८)
रथैस्तैर्नगरप्रख्यै: पताकाध्वजशोभितै: । ययुराशु कुरुक्षेत्र वाजिभि: शीघ्रगामिभि:
rathais tair nagara-prakhyaiḥ patākā-dhvaja-śobhitaiḥ | yayur āśu kuru-kṣetraṃ vājibhiḥ śīghra-gāmibhiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O King, thereafter Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, King Yudhiṣṭhira, Kṛpācārya, and the rest—together with the four remaining Pāṇḍavas—swiftly set out for Kurukṣetra in towering chariots like cities, splendid with banners and standards, drawn by fast-moving horses. The scene marks a purposeful advance toward a solemn field of duty, driven not by haste alone but by the demands of dharma and the weight of what must be faced.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a simple travel description is framed by dharma: leaders move with resolve toward a place where moral reckoning and right conduct must be addressed. Speed and splendor are secondary to the seriousness of the duty that awaits.
The group proceeds quickly to Kurukṣetra in large, city-like chariots decorated with banners and standards, drawn by swift horses, as narrated by Vaiśampāyana to the king.