Shloka 5
तस्य यज्ञों महानासीदश्चमेधो महात्मन: । बृहस्पतिरुपाध्यायस्तत्र होता बभूव ह,एक समय उन महात्मा नरेशने महान् अश्व-मेधयज्ञका आयोजन किया। उसमें उनके उपाध्याय बृहस्पति होता हुए
tasya yajño mahān āsīd aśvamedho mahātmanaḥ | bṛhaspatir upādhyāyas tatra hotā babhūva ha ||
Bhishma said: For that great-souled king there was a grand sacrifice—an Aśvamedha. In that rite, his preceptor Bṛhaspati indeed served as the hotṛ-priest.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharmic kingship: a ruler’s legitimacy and moral order are reinforced through properly conducted Vedic rites, guided by a qualified preceptor. It also stresses the importance of correct ritual roles (such as the hotṛ) and the authority of learned teachers in public religious acts.
Bhishma narrates that a great king performed a magnificent Aśvamedha sacrifice, and that the king’s own preceptor, Bṛhaspati, officiated in the specific role of hotṛ, reciting the hymns required for the rite.