Shloka 11
महता राजभोगेन पारिबर्ेण संवृत: । स्तूयमानो महातेजा भीष्मस्याग्नीननुव्रजन्
mahātā rājabhogena pāribarheṇa saṁvṛtaḥ | stūyamāno mahātejā bhīṣmasyāgnīn anuvrajan ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: Umgeben von großem königlichem Gefolge und reich an den Genüssen des Königtums, schritt der strahlende Monarch unter Lobpreisungen voran, den von Bhīṣma eingesetzten heiligen Feuern folgend—sie vorantragend und selbst dahinter in gebührender zeremonieller Ordnung.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even royal power and luxury are to be subordinated to dharma: the king proceeds in a disciplined, reverential order, placing the sacred fires (symbols of ritual obligation and continuity) before himself, showing that sovereignty is guided by sacred duty rather than mere display.
A radiant king, surrounded by a large retinue and being praised, moves forward in a ceremonial procession, following behind the ritual fires that Bhīṣma had established—keeping the fires in front as part of proper observance.