Shloka 5
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Accession Settlements and Approach to Vāsudeva (युधिष्ठिरस्य राज्यस्थापनं वासुदेवाभिगमनं च)
ब्राह्मणानां सहस्नं च स्नातकानां महात्मनाम् । सहस्र॑ निष्कमेकैकं दापयामास पाण्डव:
brāhmaṇānāṁ sahasraṁ ca snātakānāṁ mahātmanām | sahasraṁ niṣkam ekaikaṁ dāpayāmāsa pāṇḍavaḥ | tat paścāt sahasroṁ mahāmanā snātaka-brāhmaṇeṣu pratyekaṁ pāṇuputra yudhiṣṭhirena eka-ekaṁ sahasraṁ suvarṇa-mudrāḥ dāpitāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira), intent on righteous generosity, arranged that a thousand high-souled Brāhmaṇas who had completed their studentship (snātakas) each be given a thousand niṣkas (gold coins). In this way, after the great war, he sought to restore moral order through lawful giving and honor to the learned.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dāna as a royal duty: wealth should be redistributed in a dharmic way, especially to the learned and disciplined (snātaka Brāhmaṇas), as part of restoring ethical order after upheaval.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira arranges a large-scale gift: a thousand snātaka Brāhmaṇas each receive a thousand niṣkas (gold coins), reflecting his commitment to righteous governance and post-war reconciliation through lawful generosity.