Mahabharata 3.201.60 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 60
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
तस्मात् त्वमपि राजेन्द्र पूजयैनान् यथाविधि । अध्वनि क्षीणगात्रश्व पथि पांसुसमन्वित:
tasmāt tvam api rājendra pūjayainān yathāvidhi | adhvani kṣīṇagātraśva pathi pāṃsusamanvitaḥ ||
Darum, o Bester der Könige, sollst auch du sie nach der rechten Vorschrift ehren. Denn auf der Reise — wenn Leib und Pferde erschöpft sind und der Weg von Staub erstickt wird — werden gebührende Achtung und rechtes Verhalten umso notwendiger.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges a king to practice dharma through proper, rule-based honor (pūjā) toward those deserving respect, especially when circumstances like travel fatigue test one’s patience and discipline.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a king, advising him to honor certain persons appropriately; the mention of an arduous, dusty journey with exhausted bodies and horses frames the counsel as practical guidance for conduct under strain.
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