Shloka 28
Yudhiṣṭhira–Droṇa Saṃgrāma
Engagement and Countermeasures
सदा पुष्पफलैव॑क्षैरुपेतां स्फटिकोपलाम् । सिंहव्याप्रसमाकीर्णा नानामृगसमाकुलाम्,गंगाके तटपर स्फटिकमणिमय पत्थर सुशोभित होते थे। सदा फूल और फलोंसे भरे हुए वृक्षसमूह वहाँकी शोभा बढ़ा रहे थे। गंगाके उस तटप्रान्तमें बहुत-से सिंह और व्याप्र विचरण करते थे। नाना प्रकारके मृग वहाँ सब ओर भरे हुए थे
saṃjaya uvāca | sadā puṣpaphalaiḥ vṛkṣair upetāṃ sphaṭikopalām | siṃhavyāghrasamākīrṇā nānāmṛgasamākulām ||
Sanjaya said: “That riverbank was adorned with crystal-like stones and graced by trees ever laden with flowers and fruits. It was frequented by lions and tigers, and thronged on every side with many kinds of deer and other wild creatures.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily establishes atmosphere rather than issuing a direct moral injunction: it contrasts the enduring abundance and order of the natural world (fruitful trees, clear stones, thriving wildlife) with the human sphere of conflict in the Drona Parva, reminding the listener that dharma and adharma unfold within a larger, impartial cosmos.
Sanjaya is describing a particular riverside landscape—identified in the accompanying prose as the Gaṅgā’s bank—highlighting its beauty and its dangerous wildlife (lions and tigers) as part of the scene-setting within the events of Drona Parva.