Shloka 3

आचार्य-क्षमा, देśa–kāla-नīti, तथा भेद-दोषः

Teacher-Reconciliation, Timing-Policy, and the Fault of Factionalism

Devanagari script

दैवीं मायां रथे युक्तां विहितां विश्वकर्मणा । काज्चनं सिंहलाड्गूलं ध्वजं वानरलक्षणम्‌

Transliteration

daivīṁ māyāṁ rathe yuktāṁ vihitāṁ viśvakarmaṇā | kāñcanaṁ siṁhalāṅgūlaṁ dhvajaṁ vānaralakṣaṇam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Sur le char était fixé un prodige divin, un artifice merveilleux façonné par Viśvakarman ; et il y avait un étendard d’or—à la forme d’une queue de lion, portant le signe d’un singe.

Word by Word

दैवींdivine

मायाम्illusion; magical art

रथेin/on the chariot

युक्ताम्yoked; fitted; attached

विहिताम्arranged; made; provided

विश्वकर्मणाby Viśvakarman (the divine artisan)

काञ्चनम्golden

सिंहलाङ्गूलम्lion-tail (having a lion’s tail / with a lion-tail finial)

ध्वजम्banner; standard

वानरलक्षणम्marked with a monkey emblem

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Viśvakarman

chariot (ratha)

banner/standard (dhvaja)

lion-tail motif (siṁha-lāṅgūla)

monkey emblem (vānara-lakṣaṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how divine skill and symbolic insignia support righteous action: sacred craftsmanship and emblems on a warrior’s chariot signify legitimacy, protection, and the moral weight carried into conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes the chariot’s extraordinary fittings: a divine marvel crafted by Viśvakarman and a golden standard characterized by a lion-tailed form and a monkey emblem—details that elevate the scene and mark the chariot as exceptional.