Kubera’s Fivefold Nīti and Protection of the Pāṇḍavas (वैश्रवणोपदेशः)
शिखण्डिनीभि श्षचरतां सहितानां शिखण्डिनाम्
śikhaṇḍinībhiḥ śacarātāṃ sahitānāṃ śikhaṇḍinām
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「(そこでは)シカンディニー――雌の孔雀――が群れて歩み、シカンディン――雄の孔雀――と連れ立って、調和ある足取りで行き交っていた。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse primarily paints a forest tableau; ethically, it subtly highlights concord and companionship—beings moving together in mutual association—an implicit contrast to human discord that often drives the epic’s conflicts.
The narrator describes a scene involving peafowl: female peafowl are present alongside male peafowl, all moving about together, contributing to the atmosphere and imagery of the forest episode in Vana Parva.