Shloka 66
Kṛṣṇa-vīrya-kathana
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s appraisal of Vāsudeva’s deeds
गड़ास्रोतसि यावत्य: सिकता अप्यशेषत: । तावतीर्गा ददौ वीर उशीनरसुतो<5ध्वरे,जैसे चमड़ेको अंगोमें लपेट लिया जाता है, उसी प्रकार जिन्होंने अपने रथके महान् घोषद्वारा इस सारी पृथ्वीको व्याप्त कर लिया था, जो प्रधान-प्रधान शत्रुओंका वध करनेवाले और महारथी वीर थे, जिन्होंने प्रजाका पुत्रकी भाँति पालन करते हुए सुन्दर अन्न, पान तथा प्रचुर दक्षिणासे युक्त एवं विघ्नरहित दस अश्वमेध-यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान किया और कितने ही सर्वमेध-यज्ञ सम्पन्न किये, वे राजा उशीनरके वीर पुत्र सर्वत्र विख्यात हैं, गंगाजीके स्रोतमें जितने सिकताकण बहते हैं, उतनी ही अर्थात् असंख्य गौएँ उशीनरकुमारने अपने यज्ञमें ब्राह्मणोंको दी थीं
gaḍāsrotasi yāvatyaḥ sikatā apyaśeṣataḥ | tāvatīr gā dadau vīra uśīnarasuto 'dhvare ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “As many grains of sand as flow in the river’s current—countless beyond measure—so many cows did the heroic son of Uśīnara bestow upon the priests in his sacrificial rite. By this image the tradition highlights the king’s fame: his generosity was not occasional but vast, deliberate, and dharmic, expressed through giving that sustains the learned and upholds the sacrificial order.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises dharmic kingship through dāna: wealth is made meaningful when offered in a righteous context (yajña) to sustain the learned and uphold social-religious order. The ‘sand-grains’ simile teaches that true generosity is expansive and not calculated for minimal display.
Vaiśampāyana is recounting the renowned liberality of Uśīnara’s son, stating that during a sacrificial rite he gifted an immeasurable number of cows—likened to the innumerable grains of sand in a river’s stream—thereby establishing his fame and merit.