Shloka 94
Kubera’s Fivefold Nīti and Protection of the Pāṇḍavas (वैश्रवणोपदेशः)
धातवो हरितालस्य क्वचिद्धिड्गुलकस्य च । मन:शिलागुहाश्रैव सन्ध्या भ्रनिकरोपमा:,“कहीं हरितालसम्बन्धी धातु हैं और कहीं हिंगुलसम्बन्धी। कहीं मैनसिलकी गुफाएँ हैं, जो संध्याकालीन लाल बादलोंके समान जान पड़ती हैं
dhātavo haritālasya kvacid hiṅgulakasya ca | manaḥśilā-guhāś caiva sandhyā-bhrānti-karopamāḥ ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Di wilayah itu, di beberapa tempat terdapat endapan mineral haritāla (orpiment), dan di tempat lain endapan hiṅgula (cinnabar). Di tempat lain lagi ada gua-gua manahśilā (oker merah) yang tampak laksana gugusan awan merah senja.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily offers a vivid natural description rather than a direct moral injunction; it cultivates attentiveness to the world’s varied forms and the mind’s tendency to perceive beauty through comparison (upamā), a subtle reminder that perception shapes experience.
Vaiśampāyana is describing a terrain encountered in the course of the Vana Parva narrative, noting different mineral deposits—yellow orpiment, red cinnabar, and red-ochre caves—whose colors evoke the red clouds seen at twilight.