Shloka 25

मरुत्तोपाख्यान-प्रस्तावः — Genealogy to Marutta and the Logistics of Royal Sacrifice

Devanagari script

मेरुं पर्वतमासाद्य हिमवत्पाश्व उत्तरे

Transliteration

Meruṁ parvatam āsādya Himavat-pārśva uttare, Himālaya-parvatake uttara bhāgame Meru-parvatasya nikaṭe ekaḥ mahān suvarṇamayaḥ parvataḥ asti. Tasya samīpe te yajñaśālāṁ kārayām āsuḥ, tatraiva yajña-kāryam ārabdhavantaḥ. Teṣāṁ ājñayā aneke suvarṇakārāḥ āgatya suvarṇamayaṁ kuṇḍaṁ, hema-pātrāṇi, thālīḥ, āsanāni (caukī-ādīni) ca nirmāya samarpitavantaḥ. Tāsu sarvāsu vastūṣu gaṇanā asambhavā iti.

Translation

Vyāsa narrates that, having reached Mount Meru to the north of the Himavat range, they found near Meru a vast mountain gleaming with gold. Close to it they had a sacrificial hall constructed and began the rites there. At their command many goldsmiths arrived and fashioned golden fire-pits, vessels, plates, and seats. The quantity of these ritual objects was beyond counting—signaling the immense scale and royal resolve behind the sacrifice.

Word by Word

• {'meruḥ': 'Mount Meru (mythic cosmic mountain)', 'parvataḥ': 'mountain', 'āsādya': 'having reached/approached', 'himavat': 'Himavat

• the Himalayan range/personified Himalaya', 'uttare': 'to the north', 'pārśva': 'side/flank', 'suvarṇamaya': 'made of gold

• golden', 'nikaṭa / samīpa': 'near, in proximity', 'yajñaśālā': 'sacrificial hall/ritual pavilion', 'yajña-kārya': 'sacrificial work

• ritual proceedings', 'ājñā': 'command, order', 'suvarṇakāra': 'goldsmith', 'kuṇḍa': 'ritual fire-pit', 'pātra': 'vessel, utensil', 'thālī': 'plate', 'āsana': 'seat

• stool/bench in ritual context', 'gaṇanā': 'counting, enumeration', 'asambhavā': 'impossible, not feasible'}

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Mount Meru
• Himavat (Himalaya)
• a golden mountain
• yajñaśālā (sacrificial hall)
• goldsmiths
• kuṇḍa (fire-pit)
• golden vessels
• plates (thālī)
• seats (āsana/caukī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the disciplined, resource-intensive commitment required for great dharmic undertakings: a ruler’s public ritual is not merely display, but an organized act meant to uphold order, legitimacy, and responsibility through properly executed yajña.

What is happening in the narrative?

They arrive near Mount Meru, build a sacrificial hall, and commence the ritual. Goldsmiths are summoned to produce numerous golden ritual implements—fire-pits, vessels, plates, and seats—so many that their number cannot be counted.