Shloka 16
Plakṣaprasravaṇa–Kārapacana tīrtha-varṇana and Nārada’s war briefing (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 53)
एवमेतद् यदुश्रेष्ठ कृष्टं राजर्षिणा पुरा । शक्रेण चाभ्यनुज्ञातं ब्रह्माद्यैश्व सुरैस्तथा
evam etad yaduśreṣṭha kṛṣṭaṃ rājarṣiṇā purā | śakreṇa cābhyanujñātaṃ brahmādyaiś ca surais tathā ||
“So it is, O best of the Yadus. In ancient times this land was ploughed and brought under cultivation by the royal sage Kuru; and it was sanctioned and blessed by Śakra (Indra), and likewise by Brahmā and the other gods. Thus its sanctity rests on righteous human effort confirmed by divine approval.”
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links sanctity to righteous action: Kuru’s disciplined, constructive labor (cultivating the land) becomes spiritually authoritative when aligned with dharma and affirmed by higher moral/divine order (Indra, Brahmā, and the gods).
Rāma addresses a Yadu hero and explains the ancient origin of the region’s holiness: the royal sage Kuru once cultivated it, and the chief gods granted approval and blessing, establishing the place as divinely endorsed.