अश्वमेध-उपदेशः तथा मरुत्त-यज्ञ-धन-प्रसङ्गः
Counsel on Aśvamedha and the Marutta-treasure episode
यथा च भरतो राजा दौष्यन्ति: पृथिवीपति: । शाकुन्तलो महावीर्यस्तव पूर्वपितामह:
yathā ca bharato rājā dauṣyantiḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ | śākuntalo mahāvīryas tava pūrva-pitāmahaḥ, tathā tvam api kuru ||
যেমন পৃথিবীপতি, দুষ্যন্তপুত্র, শকুন্তলানন্দন, মহাবীর্য রাজা ভরত—তোমার পূর্বপিতামহ—যজ্ঞ সম্পাদন করেছিলেন, তেমনি তুমিও সেইরূপে করো।
व्यास उवाच
A righteous king should uphold dharma by following exemplary ancestral models; legitimate sovereignty is strengthened through proper ritual action performed in continuity with the lineage.
Vyāsa urges the addressed ruler to undertake a sacrifice, citing the precedent of the famed emperor Bharata—Duṣyanta’s son and Śakuntalā’s child—who had earlier performed such a rite.