धनंजयस्य आश्वासनम्
Dhanaṃjaya’s Reassurance and the Opening Engagement
शतं शतसहस्राणां यत्र स्थूणा हिरण्मयी । मणिरत्नमयी चान्या प्रासादं तदधारयत्
śataṁ śata-sahasrāṇāṁ yatra sthūṇā hiraṇmayī | maṇi-ratna-mayī cānyā prāsādaṁ tad adhārayat ||
वहाँ एक दिव्य प्रासाद था, जिसे असंख्य स्तंभों ने धारण कर रखा था—कुछ स्वर्णमय और कुछ मणि-रत्नों से जड़े हुए। उस वैभव और दिव्य कारीगरी से वह भवन स्वयं इन्द्रलोक की महिमा का स्मरण कराता था।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse primarily serves descriptive (kāvya-like) narration rather than direct moral instruction; it highlights how worldly and even celestial magnificence is constructed from material splendour, implicitly contrasting external grandeur with the inner virtues that the epic elsewhere upholds as true dharma.
Vaiśampāyana describes a magnificent palace or celestial-like structure, emphasizing its innumerable supporting pillars—some golden and others made of gems and precious stones—creating an atmosphere of extraordinary, Indra-like opulence.