Shloka 11
Droṇānīka-praveśa: Arjuna’s respectful appeal to Droṇa and renewed advance toward Jayadratha (द्रोणानीकप्रवेशः)
सौवर्णा पृथिवीं कृत्वा य इमां मणिशर्कराम् | विप्रेभ्य: प्राददद् राजा सो<श्चवमेथे महामखे
sauvarṇāṃ pṛthivīṃ kṛtvā ya imāṃ maṇiśarkarām | viprebhyaḥ prādadad rājā so ’śvamedhe mahāmakhe ||
Nārada dit : «Ce roi qui, pour ainsi dire, changea la terre en or et la fit pareille à du gravier de joyaux, remit ces richesses aux brāhmaṇas lors du grand sacrifice de l’Aśvamedha. Le vers souligne la générosité royale tournée vers les savants et le sacré, et présente le don somptueux comme un acte dharmique lorsqu’il est accompli dans un rite solennel.»
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises dāna performed in a sacred context: a ruler’s immense wealth becomes dharmically meaningful when offered to worthy recipients (vipras) during a major yajña, emphasizing generosity, ritual responsibility, and support of sacred learning.
Nārada describes an exemplary king whose riches are so vast that the earth seems ‘golden’ and strewn with ‘jewel-pebbles’; during a grand Aśvamedha rite, the king distributes this wealth to brāhmaṇas, illustrating royal munificence as a celebrated ideal.