Shloka 30
अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship
Book 14, Chapter 89
गत्वा त्ववभृथं राजा विपाप्मा भ्रातृभि: सह । सभाज्यमान: शुशुभे महेन्द्रस्त्रिदशैरिव
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
gatvā tv avabhṛthaṃ rājā vipāpmā bhrātṛbhiḥ saha |
sabhājyamānaḥ śuśubhe mahendraḥ tridāśair iva ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Nachdem der König zur Avabhṛtha — dem abschließenden rituellen Bad des Opfers — gegangen war, wurde er von Sünde gereinigt. Geehrt und gefeiert zusammen mit seinen Brüdern, erstrahlte Yudhiṣṭhira in Glanz, wie der große Indra, wenn ihn die Götter verehren.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Completion of a righteous sacrifice culminates in avabhṛtha purification, symbolizing the restoration of moral order; true royal splendour arises from dharmic conduct and the honour of one’s community (here, the brothers), not from power alone.
After the Aśvamedha’s concluding avabhṛtha bath, Yudhiṣṭhira is described as purified and radiant, being honoured by his brothers; the poet likens his splendour to Indra being revered by the gods.