Shloka 43
अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship
Book 14, Chapter 89
उपाजिघ्रद् यथाशास्त्र सर्वपापापहं तदा । भाइयोंसहित धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरने शास्त्रकी आज्ञाके अनुसार उस चर्बीके धूमकी गन्ध सूँघी, जो समस्त पापोंका नाश करनेवाली थी,दीयतां भुज्यतां चेष्टं दिवारात्रमवारितम् | त॑ महोत्सवसंकाशं हृष्टपुष्टजनाकुलम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
upājighrad yathāśāstraṃ sarvapāpāpahaṃ tadā |
dīyatāṃ bhujyatāṃ ceṣṭaṃ divārātram avāritam |
taṃ mahotsava-saṅkāśaṃ hṛṣṭa-puṣṭa-janākulam |
Vaiśampāyana said: Then Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira, together with his brothers, inhaled—according to scriptural rule—the smoke’s fragrance, believed to remove all sins. “Let gifts be given; let the desired foods be eaten—day and night, without restraint.” That scene resembled a great festival, crowded with people who were joyful and well-nourished.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links royal ritual duty with ethical restoration: purification is pursued through śāstra-guided action, and kingship is expressed through generosity and public welfare—gifts and sustenance offered freely, creating social harmony after conflict.
During the Aśvamedha-related proceedings, Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers perform a prescribed act of inhaling the purifying sacrificial smoke. The occasion then turns into an open, continuous celebration marked by giving and feasting, resembling a grand festival filled with happy, well-fed crowds.