Shloka 12
Āṇīmāṇḍavya–Upākhyāna
The Account of Āṇīmāṇḍavya and the Birth of Vidura
स हास्तिनपुरे रम्ये कुरूणां पुटभेदने । वसन् सागरफपर्यन्तामन्वशासद् वसुन्धराम्,महाराज शान्तनु कुर॒ुवंशकी रमणीय राजधानी हस्तिनापुरमें निवास करते हुए समुद्रपर्यन्त पृथ्वीका शासन और पालन करते थे
sa hāstinapure ramye kurūṇāṁ puṭabhedane | vasan sāgaraparyantām anvāśāsad vasundharām || mahārāja śāntanuḥ kurvaṁśakīṁ ramaṇīyāṁ rājadhānīṁ hastināpure nivasan samudraparyantāṁ pṛthvīṁ śāsanapālanam akarot |
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: En la hermosa ciudad de Hastināpura—célebre como baluarte de los Kurus—vivía el rey Śāntanu como soberano y, desde aquella bella capital de la estirpe Kuru, gobernaba y protegía la tierra hasta las mismas orillas del océano. El verso presenta la realeza no como mero mando, sino como tutela responsable del reino.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents ideal kingship as dharmic administration: the king’s authority is paired with the duty to protect and sustain the realm, emphasizing governance as stewardship rather than mere power.
Vaiśampāyana describes King Śāntanu residing in Hastināpura and ruling the kingdom—symbolically the whole earth up to the ocean—establishing Śāntanu’s stature and the stability of Kuru rule at this point in the story.