Shloka 26
अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship
Book 14, Chapter 89
कलाभिस्तिसूभी राजन् यथाविधि मनस्विनीम् । राजन! तत्पश्चात् याजकोंने विधिपूर्वक अश्वका श्रपण करके उसके समीप मन्त्र, द्रव्य और श्रद्धा--इन तीन कलाओंसे युक्त मनस्विनी द्रौपदीको शास्त्रोक्त विधिके अनुसार बैठाया,अनन्तरं द्विजातिभ्य: क्षत्रिया जह्ििरे वसु । तथा विट्शूद्रसंघाश्व तथान्ये म्लेच्छजातय:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: kalābhis tisṛbhir rājan yathāvidhi manasvinīm | rājan tatpaścāt yājakāḥ vidhipūrvakam aśvakaṃ śrapaṇaṃ kṛtvā tasya samīpe mantra-dravya-śraddhā—etābhiḥ tisṛbhiḥ kalābhiḥ yuktāṃ manasvinīṃ draupadīṃ śāstroktavidhinā upaveśayām āsuḥ | anantaraṃ dvijātibhyaḥ kṣatriyā jahṛire vasu | tathā viṭ-śūdra-saṅghāś ca tathānye mleccha-jātayaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Raja, sesuai tata upacara, Draupadī yang berhati teguh ditempatkan pada kedudukannya, berhiaskan tiga ‘keterampilan’: mantra, persembahan yang layak, dan śraddhā (iman-bakti). Sesudah itu para imam pelaksana, setelah memasak bagian-bagian persembahan dari kuda menurut aturan śāstra dan menata segala sesuatu di dekatnya sebagaimana mestinya, mendudukkan Draupadī yang luhur budi sesuai ketentuan. Lalu harta dibagikan: setelah kaum dwija menerima, para kṣatriya pun mengambil anugerah; demikian pula kelompok vaiśya dan śūdra, serta komunitas lain yang dipandang sebagai mleccha karena kelahiran.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ritual integrity and ethical giving: sacred action is to be performed ‘yathāvidhi’ (as prescribed) with mantra, proper materials, and śraddhā (sincere faith), and the rite culminates in dāna—distribution of wealth—signaling that royal power is ethically completed through generosity and ordered responsibility.
During the Aśvamedha proceedings, the priests complete the prescribed cooking of the horse’s sacrificial portions and formally seat Draupadī near the rite with the three ritual constituents (mantra, offerings, faith). Afterward, gifts/wealth are distributed in a socially ordered sequence: first to the twice-born, then to Kṣatriyas, and also to groups of Vaiśyas, Śūdras, and other communities described as mleccha.