Shloka 51

Devanagari script

तोषितो5हं नृपश्रेष्ठ त्वयेहाद्यंन कर्मणा । याजन ब्राह्मणानां तु विधिदृष्टं परंतप,'भूपालशिरोमणे! तुमने इस वेदविहित कर्मके द्वारा मुझे पूर्ण संतुष्ट किया है, परंतु परंतप! शास्त्रीय विधिके अनुसार यज्ञ करानेका अधिकार ब्राह्मणोंको ही है

Transliteration

toṣito 'haṁ nṛpaśreṣṭha tvayehādyaṁna karmaṇā | yājana-brāhmaṇānāṁ tu vidhidṛṣṭaṁ paraṁtapa ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O best of kings, I am fully pleased today by this deed of yours. Yet, O scorcher of foes, according to the rule seen in the śāstras, the right to officiate and conduct sacrifices belongs to Brāhmaṇas.”

Word by Word

तोषितःpleased/satisfied

अहम्I

नृपश्रेष्ठO best of kings

त्वयाby you

इहhere/in this matter

अद्यtoday/now

अनेनby this

कर्मणाby (this) act/rite

याजन्O sacrificer / O one who performs sacrifice

ब्राह्मणानाम्of Brahmins

तुbut/indeed

विधिदृष्टम्prescribed by rule/seen in the injunctions

परंतपO scorcher of foes

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

a king addressed as nṛpaśreṣṭha/paraṁtapa (unspecified)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when a king performs a commendable, Veda-aligned act, ritual roles must follow śāstric injunctions: the formal authority to officiate sacrifices (yājana) is assigned to Brāhmaṇas, reflecting varṇa-based division of religious duties.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker praises a king for a meritorious action that has brought satisfaction, but immediately adds a corrective reminder: proper sacrificial procedure requires that the priestly function of conducting yajña be carried out by Brāhmaṇas according to prescribed rule.