Shloka 9
Adhyāya 60: Devagaṇa–Ṛṣi–Prajāpatīnāṃ Sambhavaḥ
Origins of Divine Classes, Sages, and Progenitors
तथा मूर्धाभिषिक्तैश्न नानाजनपदेश्वरै: । ऋषच्विम्भि््रह्म॒कल्पैश्व कुशलैर्यज्ञसंस्तरे,जिनके मस्तकोंपर अभिषेक किया गया था, ऐसे अनेक जनपदोंके नरेश तथा यज्ञानुष्ठानमें कुशल ब्रह्माजीके समान योग्यतावाले ऋत्विज् भी उन्हें सब ओरसे घेरे हुए थे
tathā mūrdhābhiṣiktaiś ca nānā-janapadeśvaraiḥ | ṛtvigbhir brahma-kalpaiś ca kuśalair yajña-saṃstare ||
Ebenso umgaben ihn von allen Seiten viele Herrscher—durch königliche Salbung geweiht und über verschiedene Länder gebietend; und mit ihnen waren die Opferpriester (ṛtvij), Brahmā gleich an Würde und Tüchtigkeit, kundig im Anordnen und Vollziehen der Opferhandlungen (yajña).
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic governance: royal authority (kings consecrated by anointing) is ideally accompanied and guided by learned, disciplined ritual specialists. Legitimate power is portrayed as operating within sacred norms and public rites, not merely through force.
Śaunaka describes a grand assembly where many anointed rulers from different regions, together with highly qualified officiating priests skilled in sacrificial arrangements, stand around and surround the central figure/event, emphasizing the scale and solemnity of the occasion.