Shloka 323
Śoka-śamana: Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation and Nārada’s Exempla to Sṛñjaya
Chapter 29
ईजानो वितते यज्ञे दक्षिणामत्यकालयत् । 'सूृंजय! अंगदेशके राजा बृहद्रथकी भी मृत्यु हुई थी, ऐसा हमने सुना है। उन्होंने यज्ञ करते समय अपने विशाल यज्ञमें दस लाख श्वेत घोड़े और सोनेके आभूषणोंसे भूषित दस लाख कन्याएँ दक्षिणारूपमें बाँटी थीं
ījāno vitate yajñe dakṣiṇām atyākālayat |
Vāyu said: “While performing a grandly expanded sacrifice, he distributed the sacrificial fees (dakṣiṇā) in extraordinary measure. O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that King Bṛhadratha of Aṅgadeśa met his death; and at the time of his sacrifice he gave away, as dakṣiṇā, ten lakhs of white horses and ten lakhs of maidens adorned with golden ornaments.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharmic generosity through dakṣiṇā—giving abundantly in a yajña—while simultaneously implying the ethical reflection that even immense wealth, ritual grandeur, and fame cannot ultimately prevent death.
Vāyudeva cites a traditional report about King Bṛhadratha of Aṅga: during an elaborate sacrifice he distributed extraordinarily large gifts—white horses and richly adorned maidens—as dakṣiṇā, and yet he later met death, serving as an example within the discourse.