Shloka 35
अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
यद् विशस्ता: कुरुश्रेष्ठ राजानश्न॒ सहस्रश:
yad viśastāḥ kuruśreṣṭha rājānaḥ sahasraśaḥ
¡Oh, el mejor de los Kurus! Aquellos reyes—célebres y renombrados—estaban allí por millares; el relato evoca la vasta asamblea de soberanos cuya fama y poder mundano, por grandes que fuesen, seguían sometidos al tiempo, al deber (dharma) y a las consecuencias morales de sus actos.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the scale of worldly power and fame—kings in their thousands—while implicitly pointing to the Mahābhārata’s ethical reminder that renown and sovereignty are transient and must be governed by dharma, since actions and their results outlast status.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a Kuru descendant as he continues describing a large gathering or enumeration of rulers: many celebrated kings are being recalled as part of the unfolding account in Āśramavāsika Parva.