Shloka 13
शान्ति पर्व (अध्याय 38): युधिष्ठिरस्य राजधर्म-जिज्ञासा तथा भीष्मोपसर्पण-प्रस्तावना | Shanti Parva Chapter 38: Yudhishthira’s Inquiry into Rajadharma and the Prelude to Approaching Bhishma
प्रविश्य भवनं राजा देवराजगृहोपमम् । श्रद्धाविजयसंयुक्त रथात् पश्चादवातरत्
praviśya bhavanaṃ rājā devarājagṛhopamam | śraddhāvijayasaṃyukta rathāt paścād avātarat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having entered the palace—splendid like the dwelling of the king of the gods—the king, endowed with faith and a sense of triumph, then dismounted from his chariot afterward.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of a ruler whose outward authority is grounded in inner qualities—śraddhā (steadfast conviction) and vijaya (the confidence of success). Ethical kingship is portrayed as disciplined action within grandeur, not mere indulgence in it.
The narrator describes a king entering a magnificent palace likened to Indra’s abode and then dismounting from his chariot. It is a transitional moment marking arrival at a royal residence and the king’s composed, purposeful demeanor.