Shloka 15
उपहार-विधानम्, यक्षपूजा, रत्ननिध्युद्धारः
Offerings to Tryambaka; Yakṣa honors; Excavation of the Treasure
श्र॒ुत्वा तु तेषां द्विजसत्तमानां कृतोपवासा रजनीं नरेन्द्रा: । ऊषु: प्रतीता: कुशसंस्तरेषु यथाध्वरे प्रज्वलिता हुताशा:
śrutvā tu teṣāṃ dvijasattamānāṃ kṛtopavāsā rajanīṃ narendrāḥ | ūṣuḥ pratītāḥ kuśasaṃstareṣu yathādhvare prajvalitā hutāśāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Ayant entendu les paroles de ces plus éminents des deux-fois-nés, les rois (les Pāṇḍava) observèrent le jeûne durant la nuit et s’étendirent, rassurés, sur des lits d’herbe kuśa. Ils semblaient tels des feux sacrés flamboyant dans un sacrifice — stables, purifiés et disciplinés — dressés sur le terrain rituel.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined receptivity to righteous counsel: after hearing the brāhmaṇas, the rulers adopt austerity (fasting) and ritual purity (kuśa bedding), embodying steadiness and sanctity like sacrificial fires—suggesting that ethical kingship is sustained by self-restraint and reverence for dharma.
After receiving the words/instructions of eminent brāhmaṇas, the kings (understood as the Pāṇḍavas in context) keep a night-long fast and sleep on kuśa grass mats, appearing serene and radiant, compared to fires blazing in a sacrificial rite.