Shloka 11
Droṇānīka-praveśa: Arjuna’s respectful appeal to Droṇa and renewed advance toward Jayadratha (द्रोणानीकप्रवेशः)
सौवर्णा पृथिवीं कृत्वा य इमां मणिशर्कराम् | विप्रेभ्य: प्राददद् राजा सो<श्चवमेथे महामखे
sauvarṇāṃ pṛthivīṃ kṛtvā ya imāṃ maṇiśarkarām | viprebhyaḥ prādadad rājā so ’śvamedhe mahāmakhe ||
Nārada sprach: „Jener König, der gleichsam die Erde zu Gold machte und sie wie Kies aus Edelsteinen erscheinen ließ, verschenkte diesen Reichtum an die Brāhmaṇas beim großen Opfer des Aśvamedha. Der Vers hebt königliche Freigebigkeit hervor, die den Gelehrten und dem Heiligen gilt, und zeigt üppiges Geben als dharmische Tat, wenn es in einem feierlichen Ritus geschieht.“
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises dāna performed in a sacred context: a ruler’s immense wealth becomes dharmically meaningful when offered to worthy recipients (vipras) during a major yajña, emphasizing generosity, ritual responsibility, and support of sacred learning.
Nārada describes an exemplary king whose riches are so vast that the earth seems ‘golden’ and strewn with ‘jewel-pebbles’; during a grand Aśvamedha rite, the king distributes this wealth to brāhmaṇas, illustrating royal munificence as a celebrated ideal.