Shloka 28
द्रोणेन दुर्योधनस्य कवचबन्धनम् — Drona’s Mantra-Bound Armor for Duryodhana
यज्जैश्न विविधैरिष्टवा पृथुर्वैन्य: प्रतापवान् | संतर्पयित्वा भूतानि सर्व: कामैर्मन:प्रियै:
yajñaiś ca vividhair iṣṭvā pṛthur vainyaḥ pratāpavān | saṃtarpayitvā bhūtāni sarvaiḥ kāmair manaḥpriyaiḥ ||
Nārada said: “Having performed many kinds of sacrifices, the mighty Pṛthu, son of Vena, satisfied all beings—nourishing them with every desirable and pleasing object. The verse recalls a model of kingship in which power is validated by ritual duty and by the ruler’s responsibility to sustain the world, not merely to conquer it.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
True royal power is measured by dharmic action: performing yajñas in accordance with duty and ensuring the nourishment and contentment of all beings. Authority is justified by sustaining the world, not by self-indulgence.
Nārada cites King Pṛthu as an exemplar: he performed diverse sacrifices and, through their merit and through generous provision, satisfied living beings with pleasing necessities and enjoyments—an illustrative contrast to destructive or purely martial models of rule.