Shloka 2
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 97: Satyavatī’s appeal and Bhīṣma’s reaffirmation of satya
सो<श्वमेधसहस्रेण राजसूयशतेन च । तोषयामास देवेशं स्वर्ग लेभे ततः प्रभु:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! इश्वाकु-वंशमें उत्पन्न महाभिष नामसे प्रसिद्ध एक राजा हो गये हैं, जो सत्यवादी होनेके साथ ही सत्यपराक्रमी भी थे। उन्होंने एक हजार अश्वमेध और एक सौ राजसूय यज्ञोंद्वारा देवेश्वर इन्द्रको संतुष्ट किया और उन यज्ञोंके पुण्यसे उन शक्तिशाली नरेशने स्वर्गलोग प्राप्त कर लिया
so 'śvamedha-sahasreṇa rājasūya-śatena ca | toṣayāmāsa deveśaṃ svargaṃ lebhe tataḥ prabhuḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: By a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices and a hundred Rājasūya rites, he pleased the Lord of the gods; thereafter that mighty king attained heaven. The passage underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethic that royal power is to be disciplined through sanctioned ritual and generosity, and that merit (puṇya) gained by such acts is believed to yield exalted posthumous destiny.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links righteous royal action—expressed through major Vedic sacrifices performed in accordance with dharma—to the accumulation of merit (puṇya) and the attainment of svarga. It reflects the epic’s view that sovereignty is legitimized and ethically constrained by ritual duty and benefaction.
Vaiśampāyana continues a genealogical-legendary account by stating that a powerful king performed an extraordinary number of Aśvamedha and Rājasūya sacrifices, thereby pleasing Indra (deveśa), and as a result attained heaven.