श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । अथ राज्ञां युयुत्सूनां भटानां मन्त्रिणामपि । नभसः प्रेक्षकाणां च तत्रेमाः प्रोदगुर्गिरः ॥ १ ॥
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | atha rājñāṁ yuyutsūnāṁ bhaṭānāṁ mantriṇāmapi | nabhasaḥ prēkṣakāṇāṁ ca tatrēmāḥ prōdagurgiraḥ || 1 ||
Translation
Vasiṣṭha said: Then from the kings eager to fight, from the warriors and ministers, and from those watching from the sky, these words rose there:
Word by word
- atha
- then
- rājñāṁ
- from the kings
- yuyutsūnāṁ
- eager to fight
- bhaṭānāṁ
- from the warriors
- mantriṇām
- and ministers
- api
- also
- nabhasaḥ
- from the sky
- prēkṣakāṇāṁ
- from those watching
- ca
- and
- tatra
- there
- imāḥ
- these
- prōdagur
- (prodaguḥ) rose
- giraḥ
- words
Meaning
The last sarga described the battle from above; this one gives it in the voices of those caught up in it. The speakers are not named, and the first commentary marks each saying: a coward to a coward, a god, an apsaras's friend, a commander. Together they show the same event as each mind sees it: one fears, one grieves, one boasts, one sees a festival. That is the tale's teaching in miniature: the world is as each awareness takes it.