Shloka 32

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ९३: कृष्णस्य धृतराष्ट्रोपदेशः

Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the Assembly

Devanagari script

नवमेघप्रतीकाशां ज्वलन्तीमिव तेजसा । महेन्द्रसदनप्रख्यां प्रविवेश सभां तत:

Transliteration

navameghapratīkāśāṃ jvalantīm iva tejasā | mahendrasadanaprakhyāṃ praviveśa sabhāṃ tataḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana nói: Rồi nàng bước vào đại sảnh—đen đặc như một đám mây mưa mới, mà lại như bừng cháy bởi hào quang; còn chính đại sảnh thì lộng lẫy, tựa cung điện của Mahendra (Indra). Cảnh tượng ấy làm tăng sức căng đạo lý của triều đình: vẻ huy hoàng bên ngoài bao bọc một cơn khủng hoảng bên trong, nơi danh dự, công lý và sự tự chế sắp bị thử thách.

Word by Word

• नवमेघप्रतीकाशाम्: like a fresh cloud in appearance
• नवमेघप्रतीकाशाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नवमेघप्रतीकाशा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• ज्वलन्तीम्: blazing
• ज्वलन्तीम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वलत्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• इव: as if / like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• तेजसा: with splendor
• तेजसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तेजस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• महेन्द्रसदनप्रख्याम्: resembling Indra's palace
• महेन्द्रसदनप्रख्याम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महेन्द्रसदनप्रख्या
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रविवेश: entered
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + विश्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular

• सभाम्: the assembly hall
• सभाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सभा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• ततः: then / thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Mahendra (Indra)
• sabhā (assembly hall)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts external grandeur with impending ethical trial: a magnificent court and a striking entrance intensify the responsibility of those present to uphold dharma—self-control, justice, and protection of honor—rather than be swayed by power or spectacle.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a woman entering the royal assembly hall. Her appearance is compared to a fresh rain-cloud, yet radiant with tejas, and the hall is likened to Indra’s palace—setting a dramatic, high-stakes atmosphere for the events that follow in the court.