Shloka 1
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 186 — Drupada’s Summons and the Pāñcāla Reception
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! वे सब नवयुवक राजा अनेक आशभूषणोंसे विभूषित हो कानोंमें कुण्डल पहने और परस्पर लाग-डाँट रखते हुए हाथोंमें अस्त्र-शस्त्र लिये अपने-अपने आसनोंसे उठने लगे। उन्हें अपनेमें ही सबसे अधिक अस्त्रविद्या और बलके होनेका अभिमान था; सभीको अपने रूप, पराक्रम, कुल, शील, धन और जवानीका बड़ा घमंड था। वे सभी मस्तकसे वेगपूर्वक मदकी धारा बहानेवाले हिमाचल-प्रदेशके गजराजोंकी भाँति उन्मत्त हो रहे थे
vaiśampāyana uvāca—janamejaya! te sarve navayuvaka-rājānaḥ nānābharaṇa-bhūṣitāḥ karṇeṣu kuṇḍala-dhāriṇaḥ parasparaṃ lāga-ḍāṃṭaṃ kurvāṇāḥ hastaiḥ astrāṇi śastrāṇi ca gṛhītvā svāsvāsanebhya utthātum ārabdhāḥ. teṣāṃ svātmani eva sarvottamā astravidyā balaṃ ca asti iti abhimānaḥ āsīt; sarveṣāṃ rūpa-parākrama-kula-śīla-dhana-yauvana-viṣaye mahān garvaḥ āsīt. te sarve himācala-pradeśe gajarājā iva mastakāt vegena mada-dhārāṃ sravantyāḥ pramattā babhūvuḥ.
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó Janamejaya, todos aqueles reis jovens—adornados com muitos ornamentos, usando brincos, empurrando-se e provocando-se mutuamente—começaram a erguer-se de seus assentos com as armas nas mãos. Cada um estava convencido de possuir o maior domínio das armas e a maior força; todos se inchavam de orgulho por sua beleza, valor, linhagem, conduta, riqueza e juventude. Como elefantes senhoriais da região do Himālaya, com correntes de musth a jorrar velozes das têmporas, embriagaram-se e tornaram-se temerários.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how pride—especially pride in strength, skill, birth, wealth, and youth—leads to recklessness. The elephant-in-rut simile warns that unchecked arrogance intoxicates the mind and becomes a moral danger, pushing warriors toward needless conflict and adharma.
Vaiśampāyana describes a group of young kings rising from their seats with weapons, taunting one another and boasting of superiority. Their collective mood is one of competitive bravado and intoxicated confidence, compared to rutting elephants in the Himalayan region.