Shloka 1
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Procession, Encampment (Niveśa), and Auspicious Timing for Ritual Action
ऑपन--मा_जल बछ। अकाल त्रेषष्टितमो<् ध्याय: युधिष्ठिरका अपने भाइयोंके साथ परामर्श करके सबको साथ ले धन ले आनेके लिये प्रस्थान करना जनमेजय उवाच श्रुत्वैतद् वचन ब्रह्मन् व्यासेनोक्त महात्मना | अश्वमेधं प्रति तदा कि भूय: प्रचकार ह
Janamejaya uvāca | śrutvaitad vacanaṁ brahman vyāsenoktaṁ mahātmanā | aśvamedhaṁ prati tadā kiṁ bhūyaḥ pracakāra ha |
Janamejaya dijo: «Oh brahmán, tras oír estas palabras pronunciadas por el magnánimo Vyāsa, ¿qué hizo después el rey Yudhiṣṭhira respecto al sacrificio del Aśvamedha? ¿Y cómo obtuvo el tesoro que el rey Marutta había dejado antaño sobre la faz de la tierra? Oh el mejor de los dos veces nacidos, cuéntamelo todo.»
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds responsible kingship: major rites like the Aśvamedha require proper counsel and resources, and the narrative frames wealth (treasure) as something to be rightly obtained and directed toward dharmic purposes rather than personal indulgence.
Janamejaya, hearing that Vyāsa has advised Yudhiṣṭhira, asks the narrator to continue: what steps Yudhiṣṭhira took next for the Aśvamedha and how he secured Marutta’s famed treasure left on earth, setting up the next episode of preparation and procurement.