Shloka 12
Adhyāya 62: Sañjaya’s Admonition to Dhṛtarāṣṭra on Rāja-dharma and Consequence
सो<श्वमेधशतैरिष्टवा राजसूयशतेन च,राजन! उन्होंने सौ अश्वमेध और सौ राजसूय-यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करके सौ योजन विस्तृत रोहितक, मत्स्य तथा हिरण्यमय (सोनेकी खानोंसे युक्त) जनपदोंको, जो लोगोंमें ऊँची भूमिके रूपमें प्रसिद्ध थे, ब्राह्मणोंको दे दिया
so 'śvamedhaśatair iṣṭvā rājasūyaśatena ca, rājan! śatayojanavistṛtān rohitaka-matsya-hiraṇyamayān janapadān, ye lokeṣu ūrdhvabhūmir iti prasiddhāḥ, brāhmaṇebhyo dadau.
Nārada berkata: “Wahai Raja, setelah melaksanakan seratus yajña Aśvamedha dan juga seratus upacara Rājasūya, ia menganugerahkan kepada para Brāhmaṇa wilayah-wilayah luas—Rohitaka, Matsya, dan negeri Hiraṇyamaya yang kaya emas—masing-masing terbentang seratus yojana, termasyhur di kalangan rakyat sebagai ‘daerah dataran tinggi.’”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ideal kingship as combining ritual authority (yajña) with ethical generosity (dāna): power and wealth gained or affirmed through royal rites should culminate in supporting the learned and the sacred order, turning sovereignty into public and religious benefit.
Nārada recounts a king’s extraordinary ritual accomplishments—performing one hundred Aśvamedhas and one hundred Rājasūyas—and then describes his immense donations: extensive provinces (Rohitaka, Matsya, and gold-rich territories) are given to Brāhmaṇas, emphasizing the scale of his merit and renown.