Shloka 22
अर्जुनस्योत्तरदिग्विजयः
Arjuna’s Northern Conquests and Tribute Collection
असज़्े देवविहितस्तस्मिन् रथवरे ध्वज: । योजनाद् ददृशे श्रीमानिन्द्रायुधसमप्रभ:,उस उत्तम रथपर देवनिर्मित ध्वज फहराता रहता था, जो रथसे अछूता था (रथके साथ उसका लगाव नहीं था, वह बिना आधारके ही उसके ऊपर लहराया करता था)। इन्द्रधनुषके समान प्रकाशमान बहुरंगी एवं शोभाशाली वह ध्वज एक योजन दूरसे ही दीखने लगता था
asaktaḥ devavihitas tasmin rathavare dhvajaḥ | yojanād dadṛśe śrīmān indrāyudhasamaprabhaḥ ||
Wika ni Vaiśampāyana: Sa ibabaw ng napakahusay na karwahe ay nakatindig ang isang watawat na likha ng mga diyos, subalit wari’y hindi nakakabit sa anuman—kumakaway na tila walang sandigan. Maringal at sari-sari ang kulay, nagniningning na gaya ng bahaghari ni Indra, at natatanaw mula sa layong isang yojana.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how symbols of rulership—like a banner—are portrayed as divinely sanctioned and awe-inspiring. Such imagery communicates legitimacy and the moral weight of sovereignty, suggesting that public signs of power are meant to reflect (or claim) alignment with cosmic order.
The narrator describes an extraordinary chariot’s banner: it is divinely made, appears unattached while waving, shines like a rainbow, and is visible from a great distance—emphasizing the grandeur and portent surrounding the figure associated with that chariot.