Shloka 11
महता राजभोगेन पारिबर्ेण संवृत: । स्तूयमानो महातेजा भीष्मस्याग्नीननुव्रजन्
mahātā rājabhogena pāribarheṇa saṁvṛtaḥ | stūyamāno mahātejā bhīṣmasyāgnīn anuvrajan ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : Entouré d’un vaste cortège royal et comblé des abondantes jouissances dues à un roi, le monarque rayonnant s’avança sous les louanges, suivant les feux sacrés établis par Bhīṣma—les tenant devant lui et marchant derrière selon l’ordre rituel convenable.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even royal power and luxury are to be subordinated to dharma: the king proceeds in a disciplined, reverential order, placing the sacred fires (symbols of ritual obligation and continuity) before himself, showing that sovereignty is guided by sacred duty rather than mere display.
A radiant king, surrounded by a large retinue and being praised, moves forward in a ceremonial procession, following behind the ritual fires that Bhīṣma had established—keeping the fires in front as part of proper observance.