Shloka 24
राजपूजाविधानम् / Royal Reception Protocols during Āśvamedha Preparations
भोजन भोजनार्थिभ्यो दापयामास शत्रुहा | भीमसेनो महातेजा: सततं राजशासनात्,शत्रुसूदन महातेजस्वी भीमसेन महाराज युधिष्ठिरकी आज्ञासे भोजनार्थियोंको भोजन दिलानेके कामपर सदा डटे रहते थे
bhojanaṁ bhojanārthibhyo dāpayāmāsa śatruhā | bhīmaseno mahātejāḥ satataṁ rājaśāsanāt ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Sur l’ordre du roi, le puissant et rayonnant Bhīmasena—destructeur des ennemis—veillait sans relâche à ce que l’on distribuât de la nourriture à ceux qui venaient en quête de subsistance. Le passage met en lumière la responsabilité royale, manifestée par une charité régulière et organisée, et le devoir moral de ne pas renvoyer les indigents les mains vides.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma for rulers and their agents includes ensuring public welfare—especially feeding those in need. Charity here is not sporadic but sustained, disciplined, and carried out under rightful authority, showing that power is meant to protect and provide.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that Bhīma, acting under the king’s directive, remains continuously engaged in arranging meals for people who come seeking food—an organized act of hospitality and relief during the events of the Aśvamedhika context.