Shloka 20
Āśramāgamanam — The Pāṇḍavas Arrive at Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Hermitage
तदुत्सवमहोदग्र॑ हृष्टनारीनराकुलम् । आश्चर्यभूतं ददृशे चित्रं पटगतं यथा,वह हर्षोत्फुल्ल नर-नारियोंसे भरा हुआ महान् आश्चर्यजनक उत्सव कपड़ेपर अंकित किये गये चित्रकी भाँति दिखायी देता था
tad utsava-mahodagraṁ hṛṣṭa-nārī-narākulam | āścarya-bhūtaṁ dadṛśe citraṁ paṭa-gataṁ yathā ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: Lễ hội lớn lao ấy—rực rỡ vươn cao trong vẻ huy hoàng và chật kín nam nữ hân hoan—hiện ra kỳ diệu như một bức họa vẽ trên tấm vải.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power of perception and collective emotion: a joyful public event can appear so perfectly arranged and vivid that it resembles a painted tableau. In the Mahābhārata’s late-parva atmosphere, such beauty also subtly points to the fleeting, constructed nature of worldly scenes.
Vaiśampāyana describes a magnificent celebration, densely filled with happy men and women. He emphasizes its extraordinary visual impact by comparing it to a picture painted on cloth.