Shloka 2
संस्तूयमाना: स्तुतिभि: सूतमागधवन्दिभि: । स्वेन सैन्येन संवीता यथादित्या: स्वरश्मिभि:,सूत, मागध और वन्दीजन अनेक प्रकारके प्रशंसासूचक वचनोंद्वारा उनके गुण गाते चलते थे। अपनी सेनासे घिरे हुए पाण्डव ऐसे जान पड़ते थे, मानो अपनी किरणमालाओंसे मण्डित सूर्य प्रकाशित हो रहे हों
saṁstūyamānāḥ stutibhiḥ sūtamāgadhavandibhiḥ | svena sainyena saṁvītā yathādityāḥ svaraśmibhiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As the bards—sūtas, māgadhas, and vandins—moved along singing their praises with many eulogies, the Pāṇḍavas, encircled by their own army, appeared like the suns themselves, radiant and splendid, as though adorned and surrounded by their own rays. The scene underscores rightful kingship made visible: public acclaim and disciplined protection together manifest royal dignity after the great war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate sovereignty is not merely force but a visible harmony of public recognition (praise by authorized court bards) and protective order (being surrounded by one’s own disciplined army). The sun-and-rays simile conveys that true royal splendor naturally radiates from rightful standing and well-ordered support.
As the Pāṇḍavas proceed, professional panegyrists—sūtas, māgadhas, and vandins—sing their virtues. The brothers are shown moving with their forces around them, and the narrator likens their appearance to the sun shining, encircled by its own rays.