Shloka 9
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
सेकानपरसेकांश्व व्यजयत् सुमहाबल: । करं तेभ्य उपादाय रत्नानि विविधानि च
sekān aparasekāṁś ca vyajayat sumahābalaḥ | karaṁ tebhya upādāya ratnāni vividhāni ca ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The exceedingly mighty one rewarded both those who had served him and those who had not, taking their hands in acknowledgment and bestowing upon them various kinds of precious jewels. The scene underscores royal responsibility: power is shown not merely in conquest but in the public practice of generosity and the binding of loyalty through gifts and recognition.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s strength is ethically expressed through generosity and impartial recognition—rewarding people publicly fosters social cohesion, loyalty, and dharmic kingship.
A very powerful figure distributes assorted jewels as rewards, acknowledging recipients by taking their hands—an emblematic courtly gesture of favor—extending gifts even beyond the immediate circle of attendants.