Shloka 31
Śānti Parva, Adhyāya 52 — Bhīṣma’s Humility Before Kṛṣṇa and the Granting of Boons
सुवर्णनिर्मित विचित्र कूबरोंवाले रथों
vaiśampāyana uvāca | suvarṇa-nirmita-vicitra-kūbaravān rathān, parvatākāra-matavān hastīn, garuḍa-sama-tīvra-gati-calān aśvān tathā haste dhanuḥ-bāṇādi-dhṛtān padātīn yuktā sā viśālā senā rathānām agre paścād api bahu-dūraṁ vistṛtya tathāiva śobhāṁ prāpa, yathā ṛkṣavān-parvata-samīpaṁ prāpya pūrva-paścima-diśayoḥ api pravahantī mahānadī narmadā suśobhitā bhavati ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Cette vaste armée—avec des chars aux jougs d’or, ouvragés et variés, avec des éléphants en rut, ivres de fureur, hauts comme des montagnes, avec des chevaux rapides comme Garuḍa, et avec des fantassins portant arcs, flèches et autres armes—s’étendait au loin, devant et derrière les chars, et prenait une magnificence éclatante. Elle resplendissait telle la grande Narmadā qui, parvenue près du mont Ṛkṣavān, se répand vers l’est et vers l’ouest et n’en paraît que plus belle.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the splendor and scale of military power while subtly placing it within a dharmic frame: outward magnificence—golden chariots, mighty elephants, swift horses—has moral value only insofar as it is directed by righteous intent and disciplined conduct. The epic often uses such descriptions to contrast external force with the inner governance of dharma.
Vaiśampāyana describes a massive army composed of chariots, elephants, cavalry, and infantry. The host stretches far ahead and behind, and its beauty is compared to the river Narmadā spreading and shining near Mount Ṛkṣavān as it flows toward the east and west.