Shloka 6
Adhyāya 57 — Arjuna’s Vow-Anxiety, Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel, and the Pāśupata Authorization
सध्वजा: सपताकाश्च रथा हेममयास्तथा । यः: सहस्र॑ं सहस्नाणि कन्या हेमविभूषिता:,राजा पौरव प्रत्येक यज्ञमें यथासमय प्रचुर दक्षिणा बाँटते थे। उन्होंने स्वर्णकी-सी कान्तिवाले दस हजार मतवाले हाथी, ध्वजा और पताकाओंसहित सुवर्णमय बहुत-से रथ तथा एक लाख स्वर्णभूषित कन्याओंका दान किया था
sadhvajāḥ sapatākāś ca rathā hemamayās tathā | yaś ca sahasraṃ sahasrāṇi kanyā hema-vibhūṣitāḥ ||
Nārada said: “There were chariots of gold, furnished with standards and banners; and likewise thousands upon thousands of maidens adorned with golden ornaments. Thus the king, at each sacrifice and at the proper time, distributed abundant dakṣiṇā—bestowing splendid war-chariots and richly adorned attendants—so that his ritual generosity became a public sign of dharma, prosperity, and royal responsibility.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dāna as an expression of dharma: a righteous king supports social and ritual order by giving abundant, timely gifts (dakṣiṇā) at sacrifices, turning wealth into public welfare and religious merit rather than mere private luxury.
Nārada is describing the scale and splendor of royal donations connected with sacrificial rites—golden chariots with standards and banners, and vast numbers of gold-adorned maidens—emphasizing the king’s prosperity and his practice of distributing it as dakṣiṇā.