Shloka 77
संहितापुस्तकान् राजन् प्रयतः सुसमाहित:ः । भक्ष्यैमल्यैश्न पेयैश्व कामैश्न विविधै: शुभ:
saṁhitāpustakān rājan prayataḥ susamāhitaḥ | bhakṣyaiḥ mālyaiś ca peyaiś ca kāmaiś ca vividhaiḥ śubhaiḥ ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Raja, dengan pengendalian diri dan batin yang terhimpun, hendaknya ia memuliakan kitab-kitab saṁhitā sebagaimana mestinya. Dengan persembahan santapan terbaik, rangkaian bunga, minuman, serta aneka anugerah yang baik dan diinginkan, hendaknya ia memuja dengan perhatian yang terpusat dan suci.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches reverence for sacred learning: texts are to be approached with bodily and mental purity, steady attention, and generous offerings—treating knowledge as a living object of dharma rather than mere material property.
Vaiśampāyana instructs the king on the proper, ritualized honoring of the Mahābhārata’s compiled books (saṁhitās): with disciplined focus, one offers food, garlands, drinks, and other auspicious gifts as part of a formal worship of the manuscripts/recensions.