Shloka 8
Ādi-parva 109: Pāṇḍu’s Forest Hunt and Kiṃdama’s Curse (पाण्डोर्मृगयावृत्तान्तः—किंदमशापः)
तन्महोदधिवत् पूर्ण नगरं वै व्यरोचत । द्वारतोरणनिर्यूहैर्युक्तम भ्रचयोपमै:,समुद्रकी भाँति सब प्रकारसे भरा-पूरा कौरवनगर मेघसमूहोंके समान बड़े-बड़े दरवाजों, फाटकों और गोपुरोंसे सुशोभित था
tan mahodadhivat pūrṇaṁ nagaraṁ vai vyarocata | dvāratoraṇaniryūhair yuktaṁ abhracayopamaiḥ ||
Dijo Vaiśaṃpāyana: La ciudad resplandecía, colmada hasta el borde como el gran océano. Estaba adornada con altas puertas, arcos y estructuras salientes de entrada, semejantes a masas de nubes, mostrando la grandeza, el orden y la prosperidad de la capital de los Kauravas como signo visible del poder real y de la disciplina cívica.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses imagery of fullness (like the ocean) and ordered grandeur (gates and archways) to suggest that a well-governed realm manifests prosperity and stability outwardly; royal authority is expected to uphold civic order so that abundance and security become visible in the city’s very form.
The narrator Vaiśaṃpāyana is describing the Kaurava capital as splendid and overflowing with wealth and activity, emphasizing its impressive architecture—large gates, archways, and prominent entrance-structures—likened to dense cloud-banks.