Shloka 16

पाण्डव-वृष्णि-समागमः तथा अश्वमेध-अनुज्ञा | Reunion at the Kuru Court and Authorization of the Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

वेश्मानि समलंचक्ुः पौराश्चापि जनेश्वर । देवतायतनानां च पूजा: सुविविधास्तथा,नरेश्वर! नागरिकोंने अपने-अपने घरोंकी भी सजावट की थी। विदुरजीने पाण्डवोंका प्रिय करनेकी इच्छासे देवमन्दिरोंमें विविध प्रकारसे पूजा करनेकी आज्ञा दी। हस्तिनापुरके सभी राजमार्ग फूलोंसे अलंकृत किये गये थे

Transliteration

veśmāni samalañcakuḥ paurāś cāpi janeśvara | devatāyatanānāṃ ca pūjāḥ suvividhās tathā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O lord of the people, the townsfolk also adorned their houses. Likewise, in the temples of the gods, many kinds of worship were arranged.” The scene conveys a civic and religious readiness: public order and private households unite in reverence, expressing dharma through communal devotion and respectful celebration.

Word by Word

• {'veśmāni': 'houses, dwellings', 'samalañcakuḥ': 'they decorated, they adorned', 'paurāḥ': 'townspeople, citizens', 'api': 'also, even', 'janeśvara': 'lord of the people (address to a king)', 'devatā': 'deity, god', 'āyatana': 'abode, shrine, temple', 'devatāyatanānām': 'of the temples/shrines of the deities', 'pūjāḥ': 'acts of worship, offerings, ritual honors', 'suvividhāḥ': 'very diverse, of many kinds', 'tathā': 'likewise, in the same manner'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• paurāḥ (citizens/townspeople)
• devatāyatanāni (temples/shrines)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is expressed not only through royal acts but through collective civic participation—cleanliness, adornment, and temple worship become ethical signs of harmony, gratitude, and reverence toward the divine and the social order.

What is happening in the narrative?

The citizens decorate their homes, and varied forms of worship are arranged in the temples, indicating a city-wide preparation for an auspicious royal-religious occasion in the Ashvamedhika context.