Shloka 20
जयद्रथ-निग्रहः — Jayadratha Restrained, Shamed, and Released
एतेन नेष्टवान् कश्रिदृते विष्णुं पुरातनम् । राजसूयं क्रतुश्रेष्ठ स्पर्धत्येष महाक्रतु:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
etena neṣṭavān kaścid ṛte viṣṇuṁ purātanam |
rājasūyaṁ kratuśreṣṭha spardhaty eṣa mahākratuḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Nul n’a jamais accompli ce sacrifice—sinon l’antique Seigneur Viṣṇu. Ce grand rite rivalise avec le Rājasūya, le plus éminent des sacrifices royaux.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the sanctity and rarity of a particular great rite by grounding its authority in divine precedent: only the primeval Viṣṇu is said to have performed it. It implies that true ritual excellence is measured not merely by royal power but by alignment with an ancient, divine standard.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, describes a specific sacrifice and underscores its extraordinary status: it is so great that it can rival the famed Rājasūya, and it is portrayed as virtually unperformed by mortals—associated uniquely with Viṣṇu.