Shloka 39

धृष्टद्युम्नेन समागतक्षत्रियगणगणना

Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s Enumeration of Assembled Kṣatriyas

Devanagari script

ददृशुस्तं महीपालमयोध्यावासिनो जना: । पुरोहितेन सहितं दिवाकरमिवोदितम्‌,बहुत वर्षोंके बाद राजाने उस पुण्यमयी नगरीमें प्रसिद्ध महर्षि वसिष्ठके साथ प्रवेश किया। अयोध्या-वासी लोगोंने पुरोहितके साथ आये हुए राजा कल्माष-पादका उसी प्रकार दर्शन किया, जैसे (प्रातःकाल) प्रजा उदित हुए भगवान्‌ सूर्यका दर्शन करती है

Transliteration

dadṛśus taṁ mahīpālam ayodhyāvāsino janāḥ | purohitena sahitaṁ divākaram ivoditam ||

Translation

The people of Ayodhyā beheld that king, accompanied by his family priest, as one beholds the sun when it has risen. The image conveys the king’s restored visibility and authority after a long absence, and the priest’s presence underscores that royal power is meant to be aligned with sacred counsel and dharma.

Word by Word

• {'dadṛśuḥ': 'they saw

• they beheld', 'tam': 'him (that person)', 'mahīpālam': 'protector of the earth

• king', 'ayodhyā-vāsinaḥ': 'residents of Ayodhyā', 'janāḥ': 'people', 'purohitena': 'with the purohita

• with the royal priest', 'sahitam': 'accompanied

• together with', 'divākaram': 'the sun (lit. ‘maker of day’)', 'iva': 'like

• as if', 'uditam': 'risen

Speaker

गन्धर्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Ayodhyā
• mahīpāla (the king)
• purohita (royal priest)
• Divākara (the Sun)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse suggests that a king’s legitimacy and beneficent presence should shine publicly like the rising sun, and that his rule is ideally guided by the purohita—symbolizing governance aligned with dharma rather than mere force.

What is happening in the narrative?

The residents of Ayodhyā see the king arriving together with his royal priest; the poet compares their sight of him to people seeing the sun at sunrise, emphasizing a moment of renewed appearance and auspicious return.