Mahabharata 4.38.6 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 38, Shloka 6
शमीवृक्षस्थायुधप्रकाशनम् / Revelation and Identification of the Weapons on the Śamī Tree
तदनीकं महत् तेषां विबभौ सागरोपमम् | सर्पमाणमिवाकाशे वन॑ बहुलपादपम्
tad anīkaṃ mahat teṣāṃ vibabhau sāgaropamam | sarpamāṇam ivākāśe vanaṃ bahulapādapam ||
அவர்களின் அந்தப் பெரும் படை கடலைப் போலவே விரிந்தும் ஒளிர்ந்தும் தோன்றியது. அது முன்னே நகர்ந்தபோது, எண்ணற்ற மரங்கள் நிறைந்த அடர்ந்த காடே வானில் நகர்வது போலக் காட்சியளித்தது।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective force and organized power can appear overwhelming—like an ocean—reminding the listener that outward might and spectacle can shape perception and morale in war, even before combat begins.
The narrator describes the immense army’s advance. Its mass is compared to the ocean, and its moving standards, weapons, and ranks create the illusion of a dense forest drifting through the sky.
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