Shloka 55
Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality
मया तु रक्षितव्येयं पुरी भरतसत्तम । यावद् राज्ञो हि नीलस्य कुले वंशधरा इति
mayā tu rakṣitavyeyaṃ purī bharatasattama | yāvad rājño hi nīlasya kule vaṃśadharā iti ||
परन्तु, हे भरतश्रेष्ठ! जब तक राजा नील के कुल में वंश-परम्परा चलेगी, तब तक इस पुरी की रक्षा मुझे करनी होगी। हे पाण्डुकुमार! मैं तुम्हारा मनोरथ भी पूर्ण करूँगा।
सहदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma as binding obligation: protection of a city and its people is not merely strategic but a moral duty tied to legitimate kingship and the continuity of a rightful lineage.
Sahadeva declares that he is duty-bound to guard the city (Māhiṣmatī) for as long as King Nīla’s dynasty endures, while also assuring the Pāṇḍava side that he will accomplish their intended objective alongside this obligation.