Shloka 3
Droṇa’s Cakra-Śakaṭa Vyūha and the Protection of Jayadratha (द्रोणकृतः चक्रशकटव्यूहः)
नारदजी कहते हैं--सूंजय! नहुषनन्दन राजा ययातिकी भी मृत्यु हुई थी, यह मैंने सुना है। राजाने सौ राजसूय, सौ अश्वमेध, एक हजार पुण्डरीक याग, सौ वाजपेय-यज्ञ, एक सहस्र अतिरात्र याग तथा अपनी इच्छाके अनुसार चातुर्मास्य और अग्निष्टोम आदि नाना प्रकारके प्रचुर दक्षिणावाले यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान किया ।। अब्राह्माणानां यद् वित्त पृथिव्यामस्ति किंचन । तत् सर्व परिसंख्याय ततो ब्राह्मणसात्करोत्,इस पृथ्वीपर ब्राह्मणद्रोहियोंक पास जो कुछ धन था, वह सब उनसे छीनकर उन्होंने ब्राह्मणोंक अधीन कर दिया
nārada uvāca—sañjaya! nahuṣanandana-rājā yayātir api mṛtyuṃ gata iti mayā śrutam. rājñā śataṃ rājasūyānāṃ śatam aśvamedhānāṃ sahasraṃ puṇḍarīka-yajñānāṃ śataṃ vājapeyānāṃ sahasram atirātrāṇāṃ ca iṣṭānāṃ tathā yathākāmaṃ cāturmāsyāgniṣṭomādīn nānāvidhān bahu-dakṣiṇān yajñān anutiṣṭhat. abrāhmaṇānāṃ yad vittam pṛthivyām asti kiṃcana tat sarvaṃ pari-saṅkhyāya tato brāhmaṇa-sāt akarot.
Nārada said: “Sañjaya, I have heard that even King Yayāti, the son of Nahuṣa, met with death. That king performed a hundred Rājasūya sacrifices, a hundred Aśvamedhas, a thousand Puṇḍarīka rites, a hundred Vājapeyas, and a thousand Atirātra offerings; and, as he wished, he also undertook many other sacrifices such as the Cāturmāsya and Agniṣṭoma, each accompanied by abundant gifts. Then, after reckoning all the wealth that existed on earth in the hands of those hostile to brāhmaṇas, he seized it and placed it under the control of the brāhmaṇas.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most powerful king—despite performing vast numbers of grand sacrifices and giving lavish gifts—cannot escape death. The passage underscores impermanence and implies that ritual merit and royal glory do not nullify mortality; ethical ordering of wealth (supporting brāhmaṇas and restraining anti-brāhmaṇa forces) is presented as a kingly duty, yet it still does not confer immortality.
Nārada addresses Sañjaya and cites King Yayāti as an example: Yayāti performed numerous major Vedic sacrifices with abundant priestly fees. He then assessed the wealth held by those hostile to brāhmaṇas and transferred it into brāhmaṇa control, portraying Yayāti’s reign as both ritually prolific and aligned with protecting brāhmaṇical order.