Shloka 52

Adhyāya 33: Antarvedī-Samāgama, Arghya-Nirṇaya, and Śiśupāla’s Objection

Devanagari script

गवां शतसहस्राणि शयनानां च भारत । रुक्मस्य योषितां चैव धर्मराज: पृथग्‌ ददौ

Transliteration

gavāṁ śata-sahasrāṇi śayanānāṁ ca bhārata | rukmasya yoṣitāṁ caiva dharma-rājaḥ pṛthag dadau ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô Bhārata, le roi Dharma (Yudhiṣṭhira) donna séparément en présents : des centaines de milliers de vaches, et de même des lits, ainsi que de l’or et des jeunes filles.»

Word by Word

• गवाम्: of cows
• गवाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• शतसहस्राणि: hundred-thousands (i.e., one hundred thousand)
• शतसहस्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतसहस्र
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• शयनानाम्: of beds/couches
• शयनानाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शयन
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• रुक्मस्य: of gold (golden)
• रुक्मस्य: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुक्म
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• योषिताम्: of women/maidens
• योषिताम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: योषित्
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• धर्मराजः: King of Dharma (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• धर्मराजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पृथक्: separately
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक्

• ददौ: gave
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bhārata (Janamejaya as addressee)
• Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• cows (go)
• beds (śayana)
• gold (rukma)
• women/maidens (yoṣit)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores dāna as a central royal virtue: a dhārmic king sustains society by generous, properly ordered giving—wealth is treated as a trust to be redistributed in sanctioned ways, especially to uphold ritual and social obligations.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira, in the course of grand ceremonial giving, distributes vast quantities of valuable gifts—cows, beds, gold, and maidens—explicitly ‘separately,’ emphasizing systematic, formal donation.