Shloka 20
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 23: Report of the Slain Sūtaputras, Royal Orders, and Sairandhrī’s Return
चितासमीपे गत्वा स तत्रापश्यद् वनस्पतिम् । तालमात्रं महास्कन्ध॑ मूर्थशुष्क॑ विशाम्पते
citāsamīpe gatvā sa tatrāpaśyad vanaspatim | tālamātraṁ mahāskandhaṁ mūrdhnaḥ śuṣkaṁ viśāmpate rājann ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : S’étant approché du bûcher funéraire, il vit là un arbre—haut à peu près comme un palmier—au tronc massif, dont la cime était desséchée, ô seigneur des peuples, ô roi.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores impermanence through imagery: near a funeral pyre stands a withered-topped tree. The setting evokes the ethical seriousness of rites and the transient nature of life and power, even as royal affairs continue.
The narrator reports that the person in the story approaches the vicinity of a funeral pyre and notices a distinctive tree—palm-height, thick-trunked, and dried at the crown—establishing the scene and mood for what follows.