Shloka 18
जयद्रथ-निग्रहः — Jayadratha Restrained, Shamed, and Released
यज्ञवाटस्थ ते भूमि: कृष्यतां तेन भारत । तत्र यज्ञो नृपश्रेष्ठ प्रभूतान्न: सुसंस्कृत:
yajñavāṭasthā te bhūmiḥ kṛṣyatāṃ tena bhārata | tatra yajño nṛpaśreṣṭha prabhūtānnaḥ susaṃskṛtaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô Bhārata, que la terre située dans l’enceinte de ton aire sacrificielle soit labourée et cultivée avec cette charrue. Alors, ô le meilleur des rois, on pourra y accomplir le sacrifice—bien ordonné, pourvu d’une nourriture abondante et dûment apprêtée.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Righteous action is supported by practical stewardship: cultivating land and ensuring abundant, well-prepared provisions enables a sacrifice to be performed properly, reflecting a king’s dharma of sustaining ritual order, hospitality, and generosity.
Vaiśampāyana advises that the land within the sacrificial enclosure should be cultivated so that, in that very place, a well-arranged sacrifice can be conducted with plentiful prepared food—ensuring the rite proceeds without scarcity.