Shloka 135

समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः

Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī

Devanagari script

राज्ञामागमनं चैव सार्हणानां महाक्रतौ । राजसूये<र्घसंवादे शिशुपालवधस्तथा,राजसूय महायज्ञमें उपहार ले-लेकर राजाओंके आगमन तथा पहले किसकी पूजा हो इस विषयको लेकर छिड़े हुए विवादमें शिशुपालके वधका प्रसंग भी इसी सभापर्वमें आया है

Transliteration

rājñām āgamanaṃ caiva sārhaṇānāṃ mahākratau | rājasūye 'rghasaṃvāde śiśupālavadhas tathā ||

Translation

It recounts the arrival of kings bearing tribute at the great sacrifice, and—during the Rājasūya—a dispute over who should receive the foremost honor, culminating in the slaying of Śiśupāla. It shows how precedence and ritual honor, when driven by pride and hostility, can swell into grave ethical and political consequences.

Word by Word

• राज्ञाम्: of kings
• राज्ञाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• आगमनम्: arrival/coming
• आगमनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आगमन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• सार्हणानाम्: of gifts/offerings (honorary presents)
• सार्हणानाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: सार्हण
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• महाक्रतौ: in the great sacrifice
• महाक्रतौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाक्रतु
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• राजसूये: in the Rājasūya (royal consecration sacrifice)
• राजसूये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजसूय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अर्घसंवादे: in the dispute/discussion about the argha (honor-offering/priority of worship)
• अर्घसंवादे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्घसंवाद
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• शिशुपालवधः: the slaying of Śiśupāla
• शिशुपालवधः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशुपालवध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: likewise/and also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Rājasūya (royal sacrifice)
• Śiśupāla
• kings (rājānaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ritual honor and social precedence are not merely ceremonial; when contested through ego and hostility, they can become catalysts for adharma and violence. The verse signals how ethical restraint and right judgment are crucial even in sacred, royal contexts.

What is happening in the narrative?

The text references the gathering of kings with tribute at a grand sacrifice and points to the famous Rājasūya incident where a dispute over who should receive the highest honor (arghya) leads into the episode of Śiśupāla’s slaying.