Shloka 9

Śānti-parva Adhyāya 44 — Post-War Reassignment of Residences and Restorative Consolation (शान्तिपर्व अध्याय ४४)

Devanagari script

दासीदाससुसम्पूर्ण प्रभूतधनधान्यवत्‌ | प्रतिपेदे महाबाहुर्जुनो राजशासनात्‌

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca | dāsīdāsa-susampūrṇaṁ prabhūta-dhana-dhānyavat | pratipede mahābāhur Arjuno rājaśāsanāt ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: By the king’s command, the mighty-armed Arjuna received a residence that was abundantly furnished—filled with male and female servants and stocked with ample wealth and grain. The passage underscores how royal authority distributes material prosperity, while implying that such opulence remains secondary to righteous conduct and restraint.

Word by Word

• {'Vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'dāsī': 'female servant, maid', 'dāsa': 'male servant, slave/attendant', 'susampūrṇa': 'well-filled, completely furnished', 'prabhūta': 'abundant, plentiful', 'dhana': 'wealth, money, valuables', 'dhānya': 'grain, provisions', '-vat': 'possessing, endowed with', 'pratipede': 'obtained, received, came into possession of', 'mahābāhu': 'mighty-armed (epithet of a great warrior)', 'Arjuna': 'Arjuna (Pāṇḍava hero)', 'rājaśāsanāt': 'from the king’s आदेश/command

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Arjuna
• the king (rājā)
• residence/house (implicit)
• wealth (dhana)
• grain/provisions (dhānya)
• male servants (dāsa)
• female servants (dāsī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Material abundance and royal favor are portrayed as external conditions granted by authority; the ethical implication is that true worth lies in how one remains disciplined and dharmic despite access to wealth, servants, and comfort.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator states that, by the king’s order, Arjuna is allotted a richly provisioned residence—well supplied with servants, wealth, and grain—indicating an official bestowal of resources and status.