Shloka 55
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
मया तु रक्षितव्येयं पुरी भरतसत्तम । यावद् राज्ञो हि नीलस्य कुले वंशधरा इति,'परंतु भरतसत्तम! राजा नीलके कुलमें जबतक उनकी वंशपरम्परा चलती रहेगी, तबतक मुझे इस माहिष्मतीपुरीकी रक्षा करनी होगी। पाण्डुकुमार! साथ ही मैं तुम्हारा मनोरथ भी पूर्ण करूँगा”
mayā tu rakṣitavyeyaṃ purī bharatasattama | yāvad rājño hi nīlasya kule vaṃśadharā iti ||
Sahadeva said: “But, O best of the Bharatas, this city must be protected by me so long as King Nīla’s lineage continues in his family. Until that time, I am bound to guard Māhiṣmatī; and, O son of Pāṇḍu, I will also fulfill your intended purpose.”
सहदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma as binding obligation: protection of a city and its people is not merely strategic but a moral duty tied to legitimate kingship and the continuity of a rightful lineage.
Sahadeva declares that he is duty-bound to guard the city (Māhiṣmatī) for as long as King Nīla’s dynasty endures, while also assuring the Pāṇḍava side that he will accomplish their intended objective alongside this obligation.