Shloka 19
शमठ बोले--भरतनन्दन युधिष्ठिर! अमूर्तरयाके पुत्र गय राजर्षियोंमें श्रेष्ठ थे। उनके कर्म बड़े ही पवित्र एवं पावन थे। मैं उनका वर्णन करता हूँ, सुनो-- ।। यस्य यज्ञो बभूवेह बद्धन्नो बहुदक्षिण: । यत्रान्नपर्वता राजन् शतशोडथ सहस्रश:,राजन! यहाँ राजा गयने बड़ा भारी यज्ञ किया था। उसमें बहुत अन्न खर्च हुआ था और असंख्य दक्षिणा बाँटी गयी थी। उस यज्ञमें अन्नके सैकड़ों और हजारों पर्वत लग गये थे। घीके कई सौ कुण्ड और दहीकी नदियाँ बहती थीं। सहस्रों प्रकारके उत्तमोत्तम व्यज्जनोंकी बाढ़-सी आ गयी थी
śamaṭha uvāca—bharatanandana yudhiṣṭhira! amūrtarayāḥ putro gayaḥ rājarṣīṇāṃ śreṣṭho ’bhavat. tasya karmāṇi mahāntaḥ śucīni ca pāvanāni ca. tad ahaṃ varṇayiṣyāmi, śṛṇu—yasya yajño babhūveha baddhānno bahudakṣiṇaḥ | yatrānnaparvatā rājan śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ ||
Śamaṭha said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, delight of the Bharata line! Gaya, the son of Amūrtarayā, was foremost among royal seers. His deeds were exceedingly pure and sanctifying. I shall describe them—listen. Here he performed a mighty sacrifice, with food prepared in abundance and gifts given in profusion. In that rite, O king, there were mountains of food—by the hundreds and by the thousands.”
शमठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises dharmic kingship expressed through yajña and dāna: a ruler’s greatness is shown not merely by power but by purity of conduct and expansive generosity that nourishes others.
Śamaṭha begins recounting the exemplary life of King Gaya to Yudhiṣṭhira, highlighting a grand sacrifice where immense quantities of prepared food and abundant gifts were distributed—symbolizing public welfare and ritual merit.