Shloka 1
पञठ्चमो<ध्याय: इन्द्रकी प्रेरणासे बृहस्पतिजीका मनुष्यको यज्ञ न करानेकी प्रतिज्ञा करना युधिछिर उवाच कथंवीर्य:ः समभवत् स राजा वदतां वर । कथं च जातरूपेण समयुज्यत स द्विज,युधिष्ठटिरने पूछा--वक्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ महर्षे! राजा मरुत्तका पराक्रम कैसा था? तथा उन्हें सुवर्णकी प्राप्ति कैसे हुई? इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत आश्रवमेधिकपर्वके अन्तर्गत अश्वमेधपर्वमें संवर्त और मरुत्तका उपाख्यानविषयक पॉचवाँ अध्याय प्रा हुआ ॥/ ५ ॥। ऑपन--माजल बछ। अप ऋालज षष्ठो 5 ध्याय: नारदजीकी आज्ञासे मरुत्तका उनकी बतायी हुई युक्तिके अनुसार संवर्तसे भेंट करना व्यास उवाच अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् | बृहस्पतेश्व संवादं मरुत्तस्य च धीमत:ः
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kathaṁ vīryaḥ samabhavat sa rājā vadatāṁ vara | kathaṁ ca jātarūpeṇa samayujyata sa dvija ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O best of speakers, how did that king come to possess such prowess? And, O brāhmaṇa, how did he become endowed with gold?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dhārmic inquiry: a righteous king seeks to understand the sources of power and wealth—implying that true royal greatness should be grounded in legitimate causes (merit, right counsel, and proper conduct), not mere possession.
Yudhiṣṭhira questions the narrator about King Marutta—specifically, the nature of his extraordinary prowess and the means by which he obtained or became endowed with gold—setting up the ensuing account.