Shloka 14
Bhīṣma’s Admonition; Duryodhana’s Rājasūya Aspiration and the Proposal of a Vaiṣṇava-satra
मत्तभ्रमरसंजुष्ट नीलकण्ठरवाकुलम् । सप्तच्छदसमाकीर्ण पुन्नागबकुलैर्युतम्,वहाँ मधुमत्त भ्रमर कमलपुष्पोंका रस ले रहे थे। मयूरोंकी मधुर वाणीसे वह सारा प्रदेश व्याप्त हो रहा था। सप्तच्छद (छितवन)-के वृक्षोंसे वह सरोवर आच्छादित-सा जान पड़ता था। उसके तटोंपर मौलसिरी और नागकेसरके वृक्ष शोभा पा रहे थे
matta-bhramara-saṃjuṣṭa nīlakaṇṭha-ravākulam | saptacchada-samākīrṇaṃ punnāga-bakulair yutam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The place was alive with intoxicated bees drinking the nectar of lotus-flowers; it resounded with the calls of peacocks. It seemed covered over by saptacchada trees, and its banks were beautified with punnāga and bakula trees.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a contemplative contrast: even during hardship (the forest-exile setting of Vana Parva), the natural world displays harmony and abundance. Ethically, it suggests steadiness of mind—finding calm, restraint, and renewal through attentive presence rather than being consumed by distress.
Vaiśampāyana describes a beautiful forest-lakeside scene: bees swarm over lotus nectar, peacocks fill the area with their calls, and the surroundings are thick with saptacchada trees, while punnāga and bakula trees adorn the banks.