Shloka 6
Adhyāya 57 — Arjuna’s Vow-Anxiety, Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel, and the Pāśupata Authorization
सध्वजा: सपताकाश्च रथा हेममयास्तथा । यः: सहस्र॑ं सहस्नाणि कन्या हेमविभूषिता:,राजा पौरव प्रत्येक यज्ञमें यथासमय प्रचुर दक्षिणा बाँटते थे। उन्होंने स्वर्णकी-सी कान्तिवाले दस हजार मतवाले हाथी, ध्वजा और पताकाओंसहित सुवर्णमय बहुत-से रथ तथा एक लाख स्वर्णभूषित कन्याओंका दान किया था
sadhvajāḥ sapatākāś ca rathā hemamayās tathā | yaś ca sahasraṃ sahasrāṇi kanyā hema-vibhūṣitāḥ ||
Ada kereta-kereta emas lengkap dengan panji dan bendera; demikian pula ribuan demi ribuan gadis berhias perhiasan emas. Maka pada setiap yajña, pada waktunya, sang raja membagikan hadiah melimpah—menjadikan kedermawanan ritualnya tanda nyata dharma, kemakmuran, dan tanggung jawab raja.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dāna as an expression of dharma: a righteous king supports social and ritual order by giving abundant, timely gifts (dakṣiṇā) at sacrifices, turning wealth into public welfare and religious merit rather than mere private luxury.
Nārada is describing the scale and splendor of royal donations connected with sacrificial rites—golden chariots with standards and banners, and vast numbers of gold-adorned maidens—emphasizing the king’s prosperity and his practice of distributing it as dakṣiṇā.