Shloka 8
धौम्यौ रौद्राणि सामानि याम्यानि च विशाम्पते । गायन् गच्छति मार्गेषु कुशानादाय पाणिना,महाराज! पुरोहित धौम्यजी हाथमें कुश लेकर रुद्र तथा यमदेवतासम्बन्धी साम- मन्त्रोंका गान करते हुए आगे-आगे मार्गपर चल रहे हैं
Dhaumyo raudrāṇi sāmāni yāmyāni ca viśāmpate | gāyan gacchati mārgeṣu kuśān ādāya pāṇinā ||
Vidura said: “O lord of the people, the royal priest Dhaumya is proceeding ahead along the road, chanting Sāman hymns connected with Rudra and with Yama, and carrying kuśa grass in his hand.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic role of a purohita: safeguarding a royal undertaking through Vedic chant and ritual purity (kuśa), invoking both protective (Rudra) and moral-judicial (Yama) divine powers—suggesting that political action should be accompanied by ethical restraint and sacred order.
Vidura reports that the priest Dhaumya is walking ahead on the route, chanting specific Sāman hymns associated with Rudra and Yama, while holding kuśa grass—signaling a formal, ritually protected movement or procession.