Shloka 23
इन्द्रस्य पाण्डवैः समागमः
Indra’s Meeting with the Pāṇḍavas
अथाभ्रघनसंकाशं गिरिशृज्भमिवोच्छितम्,फिर तो सेवकोंने सुनहरे बादलोंकी घटाके सदृश विशाल पर्वतशिखरके समान ऊँचा रथ जोतकर तैयार किया। उसमें सुवर्णमालाओंसे विभूषित गन्धर्वदेशीय घोड़े जुते हुए थे। वे सर्वगुणसम्पन्न उत्तम अश्व तेजस्वी, बलवान् और अश्वोचित गुणोंसे युक्त थे। उनकी आँखें निर्मल थीं और उन्हें नाना प्रकारके रत्नमय आभूषण पहनाये गये थे। रथमें जुते हुए वे शोभाशाली अभश्व शीघ्रगामी थे। उन्हें देखकर ऐसा जान पड़ता था, मानो वे अभी सब कुछ लाँघ जायँगे
atha abhraghana-saṅkāśaṃ giri-śṛṅgam ivocchritam | rathaṃ yojayitvā sevakāḥ samupasthāpayām āsuḥ || tasmin suvarṇa-mālābhiḥ vibhūṣitā gandharva-deśīyā aśvā yuktāḥ | te sarva-guṇa-sampannā uttamā aśvāḥ tejasvinaḥ balavantaś ca aśvocita-guṇair yuktāḥ | teṣāṃ netrāṇi nirmalāni, nānā-ratna-mayair ābharaṇaiś ca alaṅkṛtāḥ | ratha-yuktāḥ śobhanāḥ śīghra-gāminaḥ, dṛṣṭvā caivaṃ pratibhāti yathā te sarvaṃ laṅghayiṣyanta iti ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then the attendants yoked and made ready a chariot, lofty like a mountain-peak and darkly resplendent like a mass of golden rain-clouds. To it were harnessed horses of Gandharva breed, adorned with golden garlands—excellent steeds, radiant and strong, endowed with every fitting equine virtue. Their eyes were clear, and they were decked with ornaments set with many kinds of gems. Harnessed to the chariot, those splendid, swift-moving horses appeared, on being seen, as though they would leap across anything in their path—an image of power disciplined into service.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights controlled strength: immense speed and power are made meaningful when harnessed to rightful purpose and service. Splendour is not mere display; it signifies readiness, discipline, and the ordered use of capability.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes attendants preparing a magnificent chariot and yoking superb Gandharva-breed horses, richly adorned and extraordinarily swift, giving the impression that they could surmount any obstacle.