Shloka 4
मरुत्तोपाख्यान-प्रस्तावः — Genealogy to Marutta and the Logistics of Royal Sacrifice
तस्य पुत्रशतं राजन्नासीतू परमधार्मिकम् । तांस्तु सर्वान् महीपालानिक्ष्वाकुरकरोत् प्रभु:,राजन! इक्ष्वाकुके सौ पुत्र हुए, जो बड़े धार्मिक थे। प्रभावशाली इक्ष्वाकुने उन सभी पुत्रोंकोी इस पृथ्वीका पालक बना दिया इति श्रीमहाभारते आश्वमेधिके पर्वणि अश्वमेधपर्वणि संवर्तमरुत्तीये चतुर्थो5ध्याय:
tasya putraśataṁ rājann āsīt tu paramadhārmikam | tāṁs tu sarvān mahīpālān ikṣvākur akarot prabhuḥ ||
O King, he had a hundred sons, all supremely devoted to dharma. That mighty lord Ikṣvāku appointed all of them as rulers—guardians of the earth—thus distributing sovereignty in a manner aligned with righteous order and responsibility.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rulership is framed as a dharmic trust: those who are 'paramadhārmika' are fit to be 'mahīpāla'—protectors of the earth. The verse highlights ethical governance and the idea that power should be entrusted to those committed to dharma.
Vyāsa tells the king that Ikṣvāku had a hundred righteous sons and, as a powerful sovereign, appointed them all as rulers over the earth—indicating an organized distribution of authority among his heirs.