Shloka 28
अध्याय ९५: चित्राङ्गदस्य गन्धर्वेण सह संग्रामः तथा विचित्रवीर्यस्य राज्याभिषेकः
Chitrāṅgada’s duel with the Gandharva and Vicitravīrya’s consecration
हस्त्यश्वरथसम्पूर्णा मनुष्यकलिला भृशम् । सुहोत्रे राजनि तदा धर्मत: शासति प्रजा:
hasty-aśva-ratha-sampūrṇā manuṣya-kalilā bhṛśam | suhotre rājani tadā dharmataḥ śāsati prajāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : En ce temps-là, lorsque le roi Suhotra gouvernait selon le dharma, le peuple prospérait grandement—abondant en éléphants, en chevaux et en chars, et la contrée était densément peuplée d’hommes.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links a ruler’s dharmic governance (dharmataḥ śāsati) with public welfare: when the king rules righteously, the realm becomes secure, populous, and materially well-provisioned—an ethical ideal of kingship in the epic.
The narrator describes the condition of the kingdom during King Suhotra’s reign: the land is rich in military and transport resources (elephants, horses, chariots) and is heavily populated, indicating stability and prosperity under his rule.