Shloka 72

Kubera’s Fivefold Nīti and Protection of the Pāṇḍavas (वैश्रवणोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

विमलस्फाटिकाभानि पाण्डुरच्छदनैर्दधिजै: । कलहंसैरुपेतानि सारसाभिरुतानि च,पाण्डवोंने पर्वतीय शिखरोंपर बहुत-से ऐसे सरोवर देखे, जो निर्मल स्फटिकमणिके समान सुशोभित थे। उनमें सफेद पाँखवाले पक्षी कलहंस आदि विचरते तथा सारस कलरव करते थे। कमल और उत्पल-पुष्पोंसे संयुक्त उन सरोवरोंमें सुखद एवं शीतल जल भरा था

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | vimalasphāṭikābhāni pāṇḍuracchadanair dadhijaiḥ | kalahamsair upetāni sārasābhir utāni ca ||

Translation

വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—പാണ്ഡവർ പർവ്വതശിഖരങ്ങളിൽ അനേകം സരോവരങ്ങൾ കണ്ടു; അവ നിർമല സ്ഫടികംപോലെ തിളങ്ങി. അവിടെയെങ്ങും വെളുത്ത ചിറകുള്ള കലഹംസങ്ങൾ വിഹരിച്ചു; സാരസപ്പക്ഷികളുടെ കലരവം മുഴങ്ങി. പദ്മവും ഉത്പലവും അലങ്കരിച്ച ആ സരോവരങ്ങളിൽ സുഖകരവും ശീതളവുമായ ജലം നിറഞ്ഞിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'vimala': 'spotless, pure, clear', 'sphāṭika': 'crystal (rock-crystal)

• also crystal-like clarity', 'ābhāni/ābha': "splendour, appearance, lustre

• 'having the look of'", 'pāṇḍura': 'white, pale', 'acchadana': 'covering, plumage/feathering (contextually: white-winged/white-feathered)', 'kalahamsa': 'a kind of swan/goose

• a water-bird noted in poetry', 'upeta': 'attended by, accompanied, frequented', 'sārasa': 'crane (often the pair-bonded crane in Sanskrit literature)', 'utāni ca': 'and also (together with)', 'sarovara (implied by context)': 'lake, pond', 'parvatīya (implied by context)': 'mountainous, of the mountains', 'kamala/utpala (from the given Hindi gloss)': 'lotus / blue water-lily'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍavas
• mountain peaks
• lakes (sarovaras)
• kalahamsa (water-birds)
• sārasa (cranes)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds śauca (purity/clarity) and inner steadiness through an image of crystal-clear mountain lakes. In the exile narrative, such serene natural scenes function as ethical counterpoints to turmoil: the disciplined traveler learns to preserve calm, restraint, and clarity even while facing hardship.

What is happening in the narrative?

As narrated by Vaiśampāyana, the Pāṇḍavas, during their forest exile, come upon many lakes on mountain heights. These waters shine like crystal and are animated by white-winged water-birds and the calls of cranes, suggesting a peaceful resting-place within their journey.