Shloka 3

Adhyāya 125: Raṅga-pradarśana — Arjuna’s Entry and Astric Demonstration (रङ्गप्रदर्शनम्)

Devanagari script

पलाशैस्तिलकैश्षूतैश्वम्पकैः पारिभद्रकै: । अन्यैश्न बहुभिव॑क्षे: फलपुष्पसमृद्धिभि:,पलाश, तिलक, आम, चम्पा, पारिभद्रक तथा और भी बहुत-से वृक्ष फल-फूलोंकी समृद्धिसे भरे हुए थे, जो उस वनकी शोभा बढ़ा रहे थे। नाना प्रकारके जलाशयों तथा कमलोंसे सुशोभित उस वनकी मनोहर छटा देखकर राजा पाण्डुके मनमें कामका संचार हो गया

Transliteration

palāśais tilakaiḥ śūtaiś campakaiḥ pāribhadrakaiḥ | anyaiś ca bahubhir vṛkṣaiḥ phala-puṣpa-samṛddhibhiḥ ||

Translation

పలాశ, తిలక, మామిడి, చంపక, పారిభద్రక మొదలైనవీ, ఇంకా అనేక వృక్షాలూ ఫలపుష్పసమృద్ధితో నిండిపోయి ఆ వనశోభను పెంచుతున్నాయి.

Word by Word

पलाशैःwith palāśa trees

तिलकैःwith tilaka trees

शूतैःwith śūta trees (reading uncertain)

आम्रकैःwith mango trees

चम्पकैःwith campaka trees

पारिभद्रकैःwith pārijāta/pāribhadraka trees

अन्यैःwith other (trees)

चand

बहुभिःwith many

वृक्षैःwith trees

फलपुष्पसमृद्धिभिःwith abundance of fruits and flowers

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pāṇḍu

forest/grove (vana)

palāśa tree

tilaka tree

mango tree (āmra)

campaka tree

pāribhadraka tree

ponds/lakes (jalāśaya)

lotuses (kamala)

desire (kāma)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how sensory beauty can inflame desire, introducing an ethical challenge: a ruler must govern impulses with restraint (dama) and discernment (viveka), since unchecked kāma can lead to harmful consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a luxuriant forest filled with flowering and fruit-bearing trees, ponds, and lotuses. The scene’s beauty excites King Pāṇḍu’s desire, preparing the narrative for the ensuing events driven by that arousal.