Shloka 43
चित्रसेन-समागमः / The Engagement with Citrasena and the Gandharvas
अष्टाशीतिसहस्राणि स्नातका गृहमेधिन: । त्रिंशद्दासीक एकैको यान् बिभर्ति युधिष्ठिर:,“महाराज युधिष्ठिरके यहाँ अद्बासी हजार ऐसे स्नातक गृहस्थ थे, जिनका वे भरण- पोषण करते थे। उनमेंसे प्रत्येककी सेवामें तीस-तीस दासियाँ रहती थीं
aṣṭāśīti-sahasrāṇi snātakā gṛha-medhinaḥ | triṃśad dāsīka ekaiko yān bibharti yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: In King Yudhiṣṭhira’s household there were eighty-eight thousand learned householders—graduates of sacred study—whom he maintained. And for each of them, thirty maidservants were assigned for service.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights rājadharma: a righteous king sustains learned and socially responsible householders, ensuring their livelihood and proper service arrangements. Supporting education and those who live by dharma is presented as a mark of ethical governance and generosity.
Vaiśampāyana describes the scale of Yudhiṣṭhira’s household and patronage: he maintained an enormous number of snātaka householders, and each had many attendants. The detail functions as praise of Yudhiṣṭhira’s prosperity and his commitment to sustaining dependents and the learned.