Shloka 40

नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः

Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city

Devanagari script

किंशुकाशोकबकुलपुन्नागैरुपशोभितम्‌ । कर्णिकारधवप्लक्षै: सुपुष्पैरपशोभितम्‌,पलाश, अशोक, बकुल, पुन्नाग, कनेर, धव तथा प्लक्ष आदि सुन्दर फूलोंवाले वृक्षोंसे वह पर्वत सुशोभित हो रहा है

Transliteration

bṛhadaśva uvāca |

kiṃśukāśokabakula-punnāgair upaśobhitam |

karṇikāra-dhava-plakṣaiḥ supuṣpair apaśobhitam ||

Translation

Ngọn núi ấy được điểm trang bởi cây kiṃśuka và aśoka, lại có bakula và punnāga; hơn nữa còn rực rỡ bởi karṇikāra, dhava và plakṣa—tất thảy đều trổ những đóa hoa tuyệt mỹ.

Word by Word

किंशुकby/with kimshuka trees (flame-of-the-forest)

अशोकby/with ashoka trees

बकुलby/with bakula trees

पुन्नागैःby/with punnaga trees

उपशोभितम्adorned, beautified

कर्णिकारby/with karnikara trees

धवby/with dhava trees

प्लक्षैःby/with plaksha trees

सुपुष्पैःwith beautiful flowers / well-flowering

अपशोभितम्adorned, beautified

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

mountain

kiṃśuka tree

aśoka tree

bakula tree

punnāga tree

karṇikāra tree

dhava tree

plakṣa tree

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 the Mahābhārata’s ethical-aesthetic sensibility: even amid exile and hardship, attentiveness to the natural world cultivates steadiness, gratitude, and restraint—qualities supportive of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva is describing a mountain landscape in the forest, emphasizing how it is richly ornamented by various flowering trees, setting the scene and mood for the surrounding episode in Vana Parva.