Shloka 5

हिरण्यपुरवर्णन–रौद्रास्त्रप्रयोगः

Hiraṇyapura Described and the Deployment of the Raudra Weapon

Devanagari script

दृश्यन्ते सम यथा रात्रौ तारास्तन्वभ्रसंवृता: । तथा सहस्रशस्तत्र रत्नसड्घा: प्लवन्त्युत,जैसे रातमें झीने बादलोंके आवरणसे सहस्रों तारे चमकते दिखायी देते हैं, उसी प्रकार समुद्रके जलमें स्थित हजारों रत्नसमूह तैरते हुए-से प्रतीत हो रहे थे

Transliteration

dṛśyante sama yathā rātrau tārās tanv-abhrasaṃvṛtāḥ | tathā sahasraśas tatra ratnasaṅghāḥ plavanty uta ||

Translation

Arjuna berkata: “Seperti pada malam hari bintang-bintang kelihatan bersinar di sebalik selaput awan yang nipis, demikian juga di tempat itu, gugusan permata yang tidak terbilang dalam air lautan tampak seolah-olah terapung.”

Word by Word

दृश्यन्तेare seen, appear

समम्equally, just as

यथाas, just as

रात्रौin the night

ताराःstars

तनुthin, subtle

अभ्रcloud

संवृताःcovered, enveloped

तथाso, likewise

सहस्रशःby thousands, in thousands

तत्रthere

रत्नgems, jewels

सङ्घाःclusters, groups

प्लवन्तिfloat, seem to float

उतand, also (emphatic)

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

stars (tārāḥ)

thin clouds (tanv-abhrāṇi)

ocean/sea (implied by 'in the ocean’s waters')

gems/jewels (ratnāni)

clusters of gems (ratnasaṅghāḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how perception is shaped by conditions: brilliance can be partially veiled yet still visible. It invites attentiveness to subtle appearances and suggests that value (like gems) may be present even when not fully manifest.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna describes a striking दृश्य (scene): in the ocean’s waters, innumerable gem-clusters seem to shimmer and ‘float,’ likened to stars visible through thin night-clouds.