Shloka 35
ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins
त॑ दृष्टवा परमं हर्ष सुदेवतनयो ययौ । मेने च मनसा दग्धान् वैतहव्यान् स पार्थिव:
taṁ dṛṣṭvā paramaṁ harṣaṁ sudevatanayo yayau | mene ca manasā dagdhān vaitahavyān sa pārthivaḥ ||
À cette vue, le roi Divodāsa, fils de Sudeva, fut saisi d’une joie immense et s’en alla le cœur exalté. En son for intérieur, il jugea les fils de Vītahavya déjà consumés—terrassés et brûlés par l’éclat et la prouesse de son propre fils.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a king’s inner certainty and the moral psychology of power: confidence rooted in one’s lineage and the perceived prowess of one’s heir can make opponents seem already defeated. It implicitly points to how mental resolve and reputation shape ethical and political action in royal conflicts.
Bhīṣma narrates that Divodāsa, delighted by what he has witnessed, departs. He inwardly concludes that Vītahavya’s sons are as good as destroyed—figuratively ‘burned’—by the brilliance and strength of Divodāsa’s own son.