Shloka 31
Śānti Parva, Adhyāya 52 — Bhīṣma’s Humility Before Kṛṣṇa and the Granting of Boons
सुवर्णनिर्मित विचित्र कूबरोंवाले रथों
vaiśampāyana uvāca | suvarṇa-nirmita-vicitra-kūbaravān rathān, parvatākāra-matavān hastīn, garuḍa-sama-tīvra-gati-calān aśvān tathā haste dhanuḥ-bāṇādi-dhṛtān padātīn yuktā sā viśālā senā rathānām agre paścād api bahu-dūraṁ vistṛtya tathāiva śobhāṁ prāpa, yathā ṛkṣavān-parvata-samīpaṁ prāpya pūrva-paścima-diśayoḥ api pravahantī mahānadī narmadā suśobhitā bhavati ||
毗湿摩波罗衍那说道：那支浩大的军旅——有车辕金饰、雕镂奇巧的战车；有如山岳般巨大的发情狂象；有疾驰如迦楼罗的骏马；又有手执弓箭等兵器的步卒——在战车之前与之后都延展到极远之处，阵容愈显壮丽辉煌。它灿然如大河那尔摩陀：当其临近梨叉梵山时，水势又向东向西分流铺展，因而更显秀美。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the splendor and scale of military power while subtly placing it within a dharmic frame: outward magnificence—golden chariots, mighty elephants, swift horses—has moral value only insofar as it is directed by righteous intent and disciplined conduct. The epic often uses such descriptions to contrast external force with the inner governance of dharma.
Vaiśampāyana describes a massive army composed of chariots, elephants, cavalry, and infantry. The host stretches far ahead and behind, and its beauty is compared to the river Narmadā spreading and shining near Mount Ṛkṣavān as it flows toward the east and west.