Shloka 28
इन्द्रस्य पाण्डवैः समागमः
Indra’s Meeting with the Pāṇḍavas
रक्ताक्षा हेमसंकाशा महाकाया महाबला: । सायुधा बद्धनिस्त्रिंशा यक्षा दशशतावरा:,उन सबके नेत्र लाल थे। शरीरकी कान्ति सुवर्णके समान थी। वे सभी महाकाय और महाबली थे। वे सब तलवार बाँधे अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंस सुसज्जित थे। उनकी संख्या एक हजारसे कम नहीं थी
raktākṣā hemasaṅkāśā mahākāyā mahābalāḥ | sāyudhā baddhaniṣtriṁśā yakṣā daśaśatāvarāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Their eyes were red, and their bodies shone like gold. They were huge of frame and mighty in strength. Armed and girded with swords, those Yakṣas stood fully equipped with weapons; their number was not less than a thousand.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how outward power—radiance, size, strength, and weaponry—can create fear and moral pressure, yet dharma requires steadiness and discernment in the face of intimidation. In the forest narrative, such displays test a person’s composure and right judgment rather than merely their physical courage.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the sudden appearance (or presence) of a formidable host of Yakṣas: red-eyed, gold-bright, gigantic, and heavily armed, numbering at least a thousand. The description heightens tension and signals a dangerous, otherworldly confrontation within the Vana Parva setting.