Shloka 35
अध्याय १८४ — भैक्षविभागः, शयनविधानम्, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य निवेदनम्
Alms Distribution, Night Lodging, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s Report
इदं धनुर्लक्ष्यमिमे च बाणा: शृण्वन्तु मे भूपतय: समेता: । छिद्रेण यन्त्रस्य समर्पयध्व॑ शरै: शितैव्योमचरैर्दशार्थ:,“यहाँ आये हुए भूपालगण! आपलोग (ध्यान देकर) मेरी बात सुनें। यह धनुष है, ये बाण हैं और यह निशाना है। आपलोग आकाशमें छोड़े हुए पाँच पैने बाणोंद्वारा उस यन्त्रके छेदके भीतरसे लक्ष्यको बेधकर गिरा दें
idam dhanur lakṣyam ime ca bāṇāḥ śṛṇvantu me bhūpatayaḥ sametāḥ | chidreṇa yantrasya samarpayadhvaṁ śaraiḥ śitair vyomacaraiḥ daśārthaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Let the assembled kings listen to me attentively. Here is the bow, here are the arrows, and here is the target. Let each of you, with sharp arrows that fly through the sky, send them through the aperture of the contrivance and strike the mark, bringing it down.” In this public trial of skill, royal ambition is tested under a fixed rule: success must come not from brute force, but from disciplined aim and adherence to the stated condition.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds disciplined action within agreed rules: even powerful kings must submit to a defined condition (piercing the target through the device’s aperture). It highlights self-control, precision, and respect for the terms of a public dharmic contest.
The speaker announces the implements of a royal archery trial—bow, arrows, and target—and instructs the assembled kings to shoot sharp arrows through the opening of a mechanical device to strike and bring down the mark, a standard test used in a svayaṃvara-style contest.