Shloka 7
Lokapāla-samāgamaḥ—Arjuna Receives Astras from the World-Guardians
Book 3, Chapter 42
दशवाजिसहस्राणि हरीणां वातरंहसाम् । वहन्ति य॑ नेत्रमुषं दिव्यं मायामयं रथम्,वायुके समान वेगशाली दस हजार श्वेत-पीत रंगवाले घोड़े नेत्रोंमें चकाचौंध पैदा करनेवाले उस दिव्य मायामय रथको वहन करते थे
daśavāji-sahasrāṇi harīṇāṁ vātaraṁhasām | vahanti yaṁ netramuṣaṁ divyaṁ māyāmayaṁ ratham ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Ten thousand swift horses, fast as the wind—dappled in hue—were drawing that radiant, divine chariot, wondrous and illusory in its making, dazzling to the eyes. The scene shows that extraordinary power and splendor may attend a greater purpose, yet still remain a display of māyā rather than the true measure of dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the contrast between outward magnificence and inner truth: dazzling, māyā-made splendor can accompany events, but ethical worth (dharma) is not established by spectacle; it is established by intention and right conduct.
Vaiśampāyana describes a celestial, wondrous chariot being drawn by ten thousand wind-swift, dappled horses, emphasizing its extraordinary radiance and supernatural construction.