Shloka 5
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
स दृष्टवोपरि गच्छन्तं सेनापतिमुदारधी: । ऋद्धि दृष्टवा सुदेवस्य विस्मित: प्राह वासवम्,वह सम्पूर्णत: तेजस्वी, दिव्य एवं श्रेष्ठ विमानपर बैठकर ऊपर-ऊपर चला जा रहा था। अपने शक्तिशाली सेनापतिको अपनेसे भी ऊपर होकर जाते देख सुदेवकी उस समृद्धिका प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन करके उदारबुद्धि राजा अम्बरीष आश्चर्यसे चकित हो उठे और इन्द्रदेवसे बोले
sa dṛṣṭvopari gacchantaṃ senāpatim udāradḥīḥ | ṛddhiṃ dṛṣṭvā sudevasya vismitaḥ prāha vāsavam ||
Bhīṣma said: Seeing the noble-minded commander ascending above him, and beholding the extraordinary prosperity and splendor attained by Sudeva, the king—astonished and filled with wonder—addressed Vāsava (Indra).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that genuine eminence is not merely social position but can be revealed through visible signs of merit and divine sanction; witnessing another’s superior ascent provokes inquiry into the ethical and spiritual causes behind such prosperity.
A king (as reflected in the accompanying narrative context) sees a commander moving above him in a radiant divine conveyance and, amazed at Sudeva’s extraordinary fortune, turns to Indra (Vāsava) to ask or comment on what he has witnessed.