Shloka 22
अर्जुनस्य दिग्विजयारम्भः — Arjuna Initiates the Northern Campaign and Secures Bhagadattta’s Tribute
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत सभापव॑के अन्तर्गत जरासंधवधपर्वमें जरासंधका युद्धके लिये उद्योगविषयक बाईसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
śūdrāś ca naraśārdūla striyo vṛddhāś ca sarvaśaḥ | nirantaraṁ abhūt tatra janaughair abhisamvṛtam janamejaya ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Oh Janamejaya, tigre entre los hombres, gentes de toda condición—śūdras, mujeres y ancianos también—se reunieron allí sin excepción. Aquel lugar quedó continuamente abarrotado y por completo cercado por oleadas de multitud, ansiosas por presenciar el combate de los luchadores.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how public fascination with displays of strength draws all sections of society together, suggesting an ethical tension: collective excitement can normalize violence as spectacle, even while it reveals the social unity of a shared civic moment.
Vaiśampāyana describes to King Janamejaya that an immense crowd—women, Śūdras, and the elderly among them—has assembled, and the venue becomes densely packed as people gather to watch the impending wrestling combat.