Droṇa’s Ācārya-Dakṣiṇā: Capture of Drupada and Division of Pāñcāla (द्रोण-आचार्यदक्षिणा)
ततो जलविहारार्थ कारयामास भारत | चैलकम्बलवेश्मानि विचित्राणि महान्ति च
tato jalavihārārthaṃ kārayāmāsa bhārata | cailakambalaveśmāni vicitrāṇi mahānti ca | udakakrīḍanaṃ nāma kārayāmāsa bhārata | pramāṇakoṭyāṃ taṃ deśaṃ sthalaṃ kiñcid upetya ha ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。――それから、バーラタの末裔よ、彼は水遊びのための備えを命じた。布や毛布で作られた、大きく壮麗な仮設の楼閣が、奇妙で見事な意匠をもって設けられたのである。さらに「プラマーナコーティ」と呼ばれる地の一処に至ると、バーラタよ、遊楽の場を築かせ、その名を「ウダカクリーダナ」(「水の戯れ」)と定めた。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights how prosperity and authority can be invested in spectacle and pleasure; in the Mahābhārata’s moral universe, such indulgent display often becomes the backdrop where envy, pride, and rivalry intensify, testing dharma.
A grand water-sport venue is commissioned: ornate, large pavilions are set up, and after reaching a spot in Pramāṇakoṭi, the place is developed and named ‘Udakakrīḍana’ (“Water-play”).