Shloka 9
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
षट्सु शम्यानिपातेषु वल्मीकादिति निश्चय: । कपिलानां सहस्रं च वाजिमेधं च विन्दति
ṣaṭsu śamyānipāteṣu valmīkād iti niścayaḥ | kapilānāṁ sahasraṁ ca vājimedhaṁ ca vindati
قال غُولاستيا: «إنه لَحُكمٌ مُستقرٌّ أنّه في المواضع الستة التي يُطرَح فيها خشب الشَّمِي (śamī) أرضًا، ينال المرء ثوابًا يبدأ بثواب إقامة تلّ النمل (valmīka). وينال كذلك ثمرة (صدقة) ألف بقرة شقراء مائلة إلى السمرة، وثمرة أداء قربان الأشفاميدها (Aśvamedha).»
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that specific ritual acts and sacred observances—performed at prescribed places—are believed to yield immense religious merit, comparable to major royal sacrifices and large-scale gifts. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s broader ethic that dharma is supported by disciplined, tradition-guided action and reverence for sacred rites.
Ghūlastya is describing the spiritual efficacy of certain ritual locations/actions connected with the śamī tree, asserting as a firm conclusion that performing the observance at six such points grants extraordinary merit—likened to the rewards of donating a thousand kapilā cows and performing the Aśvamedha.