Shloka 6
अध्याय ८ — शल्यस्य सत्कारः, वरदानं, पाण्डवसमागमश्च (Śalya’s Reception, the Boon, and Meeting the Pāṇḍavas)
व्यथयन्निव भूतानि कम्पयन्निव मेदिनीम् । शनैर्विश्रामयन् सेनां स ययौ येन पाण्डव:
vyathayann iva bhūtāni kampayann iva medinīm | śanair viśrāmayann senāṃ sa yayau yena pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Le roi Śalya s’avança par la route qui lui permettait de rejoindre promptement le Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira). Sur son passage, sa grande armée semblait tourmenter les êtres vivants et faire trembler la terre elle-même ; pourtant il progressait d’un pas assuré, faisant halte çà et là pour laisser l’armée se reposer par étapes. Le vers souligne le poids moral d’une puissance en marche : même un déplacement discipliné vers un but politique exerce inévitablement une pression sur les créatures et sur le sol.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even legitimate political movement and military organization have ethical consequences: the sheer mass of an army can distress beings and strain the land. The verse hints at the responsibility of rulers to balance strategic aims with restraint and care for those affected.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that King Śalya proceeds with his army toward the Pāṇḍavas (especially Yudhiṣṭhira). The march is powerful enough to seem to shake the earth, but Śalya advances methodically, stopping at intervals to rest the troops so he may reach them promptly.