Shloka 26
अध्याय ८ — शल्यस्य सत्कारः, वरदानं, पाण्डवसमागमश्च (Śalya’s Reception, the Boon, and Meeting the Pāṇḍavas)
समेत्य च महाबाहु: शल्य: पाण्डुसुतैस्तदा । पाद्यमर्घ्य च गां चैव प्रत्यगृह्नाद् यथाविधि
sametya ca mahābāhuḥ śalyaḥ pāṇḍusutais tadā | pādyam arghyaṃ ca gāṃ caiva pratyagṛhṇād yathāvidhi ||
Alors Śalya, aux bras puissants, ayant rencontré les fils de Pāṇḍu, accepta—selon l’usage prescrit—l’eau pour laver les pieds, l’offrande d’honneur (arghya) et aussi une vache. La scène souligne la force contraignante de l’hospitalité et de la bienséance rituelle, par lesquelles liens et devoirs sont solennellement reconnus.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma expressed as proper hospitality and ritual decorum: honoring a guest with prescribed offerings creates and confirms social bonds and obligations, and accepting them signifies recognition of that relationship.
Śalya meets the Pāṇḍavas and, following customary procedure, receives the guest-honoring items—pādya, arghya, and a cow—marking a formal, ritually sanctioned reception.