Shloka 32
Chapter 19: Prativyūha of the Pāṇḍavas — Vajra (Acala) Formation and Dawn Omens
क्षरन्त इव जीमूता महार्हा: पद्मगन्धिन: । राजानमन्वयु: पश्चाज्जीमूता इव वार्षिका:
kṣaranta iva jīmūtā mahārhāḥ padmagandhinaḥ | rājānam anvayuḥ paścāj jīmūtā iva vārṣikāḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。雨を孕む雲が水を注ぐように、蓮の香を放つ貴重な象たちが、ユディシュティラ王の後ろに従った――まさに季節の雨雲のごとく。この比喩は王威と戦備を示す。富と力は、ダルマに立つ王の背後で規律正しく進み、戦の近づきはムストと剛力の「雨季」そのものとして感じ取られるのである。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic kingship expressed through ordered strength: power and wealth (symbolized by precious, fragrant war-elephants) are meaningful when aligned behind a righteous ruler, suggesting that might should serve dharma rather than ego.
Sañjaya describes the procession behind Yudhiṣṭhira: valuable elephants, compared to monsoon clouds, follow him. The simile evokes both grandeur and the imminence of battle, as the elephants’ musth and mass resemble clouds heavy with rain.