Shloka 9
Adhyāya 62: Sañjaya’s Admonition to Dhṛtarāṣṭra on Rāja-dharma and Consequence
सो5भवद् द्वादशसमो द्वादशाहेन वीर्यवान् । इमां च पृथिवीं कृत्स्नामेकाह्नला स व्यजीजयत्,वह पराक्रमी राजकुमार बारह दिनोंमें ही बारह वर्षोकी अवस्थावाले बालकके समान हो गया। (राजा होनेपर) मान्धाताने एक ही दिनमें इस सारी पृथ्वीको जीत लिया
so 'bhavad dvādaśa-samaḥ dvādaśāhena vīryavān | imāṃ ca pṛthivīṃ kṛtsnām ekāhnena sa vyajayat |
Nārada said: “That mighty one became, within twelve days, equal to a twelve-year-old in strength and maturity. And in a single day he conquered this entire earth.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores exceptional royal potency and rapid attainment of capability, implicitly reminding that such power and conquest, though celebrated, must be aligned with dharma and the duties of a ruler.
Nārada describes a hero/king whose growth in strength and maturity accelerates dramatically—becoming like a twelve-year-old within twelve days—and who then subdues the whole earth in a single day, emphasizing astonishing prowess.