Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
प्राग्ज्योतिषं नाम बभूव दुर्ग पुरं घोरमसुराणामसहाम् | महाबलो नरकस्तत्र भौमो जहारादित्या मणिकुण्डले शुभे
prāgjyotiṣaṃ nāma babhūva durgaṃ puraṃ ghoram asurāṇām asahām | mahābalo narakas tatra bhaumo jahārādityā maṇikuṇḍale śubhe
サンジャヤは言った。「プラーグジョーティシャと名づけられた堅固な城塞都市があった。恐るべく、神々でさえ抗し難い、アスラの要害である。そこに地母ブーミより生まれた大力のナラカが住み、神々の母アディティの、宝玉をちりばめた輝く耳飾りを奪い去った。」
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how violent appropriation of what is sacred or rightfully possessed—especially from divine or venerable figures—marks adharma. Such acts of pride and theft destabilize moral order and invite corrective justice.
Sañjaya describes the fearsome stronghold Prāgjyotiṣa, ruled by the powerful Naraka (son of Earth). Naraka commits an outrage by seizing Aditi’s splendid jewel-earrings, establishing his tyrannical character and setting the background for later confrontation.