Shloka 11
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 178 — Royal Contestants Assemble; Cosmic Witnesses; The Bow Remains Unstrung
वसिष्ठ उवाच कृतवीर्य इति ख्यातो बभूव पृथिवीपति:,वसिष्ठजीने (पराशरसे) कहा--वत्स! इस पृथ्वीपर कृतवीर्य नामसे प्रसिद्ध एक राजा थे। वे नृपश्रेष्ठ वेदज्ञ भृगुवंशी ब्राह्मणोंक यजमान थे। तात! उन महाराजने सोमयज्ञ करके उसके अन्तमें उन अग्रभोजी भार्गवोंको विपुल धन और धान्य देकर उसके द्वारा पूर्ण संतुष्ट किया। राजाओंमें श्रेष्ठ कृतवीर्यके स्वर्गवासी हो जानेपर उनके वंशजोंको किसी तरह द्रव्यकी आवश्यकता आ पड़ी। भृगुवंशी ब्राह्मणोंके यहाँ धन है, यह जानकर वे सभी राजपुत्र उन श्रेष्ठ भार्गवोंके पास याचक बनकर गये। उस समय कुछ भार्गवोंने अपनी अक्षय धनराशिको धरतीमें गाड़ दिया
vasiṣṭha uvāca: kṛtavīrya iti khyāto babhūva pṛthivīpatiḥ.
Vasiṣṭha said: There was a lord of the earth renowned by the name Kṛtavīrya. The passage introduces him as a celebrated king whose ritual patronage and generosity toward the Bhṛgu-line Brahmins becomes the ethical backdrop for later tensions: after his death, his descendants fall into need and turn to those Brahmins for wealth, setting the stage for conflict over hoarded riches and the proper limits of giving, asking, and safeguarding property.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical arc around kingship and reputation: a ruler becomes 'renowned' not merely by power but by dharmic conduct—especially rightful patronage and generosity—yet later social strain can arise when wealth is hoarded or when descendants press claims, testing the boundaries of giving and asking.
Vasiṣṭha begins a story by identifying a famous king named Kṛtavīrya, establishing the principal figure whose actions and legacy will lead into subsequent events involving wealth, Brahmins, and the king’s lineage.