Shloka 7

Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

सक्तुप्रस्थेन वो नायं यज्ञस्तुल्यो नराधिपा: । उज्छवृत्तेर्वदान्यस्य कुरुक्षेत्रनिवासिन:,“राजाओ! तुम्हारा यह यज्ञ कुरुक्षेत्रनिवासी एक उज्छवृत्तिधारी उदार ब्राह्मणके सेरभर सत्तू दान करनेके बराबर भी नहीं हुआ है”

Transliteration

Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca:

Saktuprasthena vo nāyaṃ yajñas tulyo narādhipāḥ |

Ucchavṛtter vadānyasya Kurukṣetranivāsinaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O kings, this sacrifice of yours is not equal even to the gift of a mere prastha of parched flour (saktu) given by a generous Brahmin who lived at Kurukṣetra and survived by gleaning. The measure of a rite is not its outward grandeur, but the purity of giving and the spirit of self-denial behind it.”

Word by Word

सक्तु-प्रस्थेनwith a prastha-measure of parched-flour (sattu)

वःof you / your

नnot

अयम्this

यज्ञःsacrifice

तुल्यःequal

नर-अधिपाःO kings (lords of men)

उज्छ-वृत्तेःof one living by gleaning/leftovers (uñchavṛtti)

वदान्यस्यof the generous (man)

कुरुक्षेत्र-निवासिनःof the resident of Kurukṣetra

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

narādhipāḥ (kings)

Kurukṣetra

yajña (sacrifice)

saktu (parched flour)

prastha (measure)

ucchavṛtti brāhmaṇa (gleaner Brahmin, implied)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes