Shloka 2.80.4
मर्गनिर्माणम् (Roadworks and the Royal Route Prepared for Bharata)
स तु हर्षात्तमुद्देशं जनौघो विपुलः प्रयान्।अशोभत महावेगस्समुद्र इव पर्वणि।।।।
visarpadbhir ivākāśe viṭaṅkāgravimānakaiḥ | samucchritair niveśās te babhuḥ śakrapuropamāḥ ||
With their lofty mansions and peaked rooftops seeming to spread into the sky, those residences stood exalted—like Śakra’s own celestial city.
Like a swollen ocean on a full-moon day the multitude of people proceeded joyfully with great speed to the appointed place.
A ruler’s dharma includes creating environments that reflect order and harmony; the ‘heavenly city’ simile links good governance with a near-cosmic ideal of well-arranged life.
The narrator praises the completed residences/encampment structures as towering and radiant, likened to Indra’s city.
Excellence (utkṛṣṭatā) in execution—craftsmanship and planning that aim at an ideal standard.