Shloka 1
Gaya’s Seven Aśvamedhas, Payoṣṇī Snāna, and the Śaryāti Sacrifice Locale
Lomaśa–Yudhiṣṭhira Dialogue
हि लय ० () है ० एकविशर्त्याधेकशततमो< ध्याय: राजा गयके यज्ञकी प्रशंसा, पयोष्णी, वैदूर्य पर्वत और नर्मदाके माहात्म्य तथा च्यवन-सुकन्याके चरित्रका आरम्भ लोगश उवाच नृगेण यजमानेन सोमेनेह पुरंदर: । तर्पित: श्रूयते राजन् स तृप्तो मुदमभ्यगात्,लोमशजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! सुना जाता है कि इस पयोष्णी नदीके तटपर राजा नृगने यज्ञ करके सोमरसके द्वारा देवराज इन्द्रको तृप्त किया था। उस समय इन्द्र पूर्णतः तृप्त होकर आनन्दमग्न हो गये थे
lomaśa uvāca | nṛgeṇa yajamānena someneha purandaraḥ | tarpitaḥ śrūyate rājan sa tṛpto mudam abhyagāt ||
Lomaśa berkata: Wahai Raja (Yudhiṣṭhira), terdengar bahwa di tempat ini, di tepi sungai Payoṣṇī, ketika Raja Nṛga melaksanakan kurban Soma, Purandara (Indra) dipuaskan oleh persembahan Soma. Sang raja para dewa itu, setelah sepenuhnya puas, mencapai sukacita.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents the traditional view that a king who performs yajña correctly—especially Soma rites—upholds dharma and can bring about divine satisfaction, symbolizing cosmic reciprocity and the ethical duty of rulers to sustain order through sanctioned means.
Lomaśa, while guiding Yudhiṣṭhira on pilgrimage, introduces the sanctity of the place by recounting that King Nṛga once performed a Soma-sacrifice here, pleasing Indra, who then became joyful—setting the stage for the chapter’s praise of the region and related legends.