Shloka 39
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
वर्जयन्ति च राजानस्तत् पुरं भरतर्षभ | भयादमग्नेर्महाराज तदाप्रभृति सर्वदा,भरतश्रेष्ठ जनमेजय! तभीसे सब राजा (जो इस रहस्यसे परिचित थे) अग्निके भयके कारण माहिष्मती-पुरीपर चढ़ाई नहीं करते थे
varjayanti ca rājānas tat puraṁ bharatarṣabha | bhayād agner mahārāja tadāprabhṛti sarvadā |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: O Stier unter den Bhāratas, o großer König, seit jener Zeit meiden die Könige jene Stadt beständig aus Furcht vor dem Feuer.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a powerful deterrent—here, the fear of fire—can shape political behavior over time: rulers refrain from aggression when the perceived cost is overwhelming, showing the long-lasting consequences of past events on collective decision-making.
Vaiśaṃpāyana tells King Janamejaya that, from a certain earlier incident onward, kings regularly avoided attacking or approaching that particular city because they feared a fiery danger associated with it.