Mahabharata 7.61.4 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 61, Shloka 4

धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry to Sañjaya

Devanagari script

सहस्र॑ यत्र मातड़् गच्छन्ति पर्वतोपमा: । सौवर्ण चाभवत्‌ सर्व सद: परमभास्वरम्‌

Transliteration

sahasraṃ yatra mātaṅgā gacchanti parvatopamāḥ | sauvarṇaṃ cābhavat sarvaṃ sadaḥ paramabhāsvaram ||

Translation

ナーラダは言った。「そこでは山のごとく巨大な猛き象が幾千も行き交っていた。王の सभा（集会殿）はことごとく黄金で造られ、常に至高の輝きを放っていた。」

Word by Word

• सहस्राः: thousands
• सहस्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र

• मातङ्गाः: elephants
• मातङ्गाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• गच्छन्ति: go / move about
• गच्छन्ति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• पर्वतोपमाः: mountain-like
• पर्वतोपमाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर्वत-उपम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सौवर्णः: golden
• सौवर्णः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौवर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अभवत्: was / became
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सर्वम्: entire / all
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• सदः: assembly-hall
• सदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सदस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• परमभास्वरम्: supremely radiant
• परमभास्वरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-भास्वर
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• mātaṅga (royal elephants)
• sadaḥ (royal assembly-hall/court)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the allure and authority of worldly grandeur—elephants and a golden court—while implicitly reminding the listener that such external brilliance is secondary to dharma, which will be the true measure of conduct in the unfolding war narrative.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is describing a place of extraordinary royal magnificence: thousands of massive elephants roam there, and the king’s assembly-hall is entirely golden and brilliantly radiant.