Shloka 1
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Procession, Encampment (Niveśa), and Auspicious Timing for Ritual Action
ऑपन--मा_जल बछ। अकाल त्रेषष्टितमो<् ध्याय: युधिष्ठिरका अपने भाइयोंके साथ परामर्श करके सबको साथ ले धन ले आनेके लिये प्रस्थान करना जनमेजय उवाच श्रुत्वैतद् वचन ब्रह्मन् व्यासेनोक्त महात्मना | अश्वमेधं प्रति तदा कि भूय: प्रचकार ह,जनमेजयने पूछा--ब्रह्मन! महात्मा व्यासका कहा हुआ यह वचन सुनकर राजा युधिष्ठिरने अश्वमेध यज्ञके सम्बन्धमें फिर क्या किया? राजा मरुत्तने जो रत्न पृथ्वीतलपर रख छोड़ा था, उसे उन्होंने किस प्रकार प्राप्त किया? द्विजश्रेष्ठ]ी यह सब मुझे बताइये
Janamejaya uvāca | śrutvaitad vacanaṁ brahman vyāsenoktaṁ mahātmanā | aśvamedhaṁ prati tadā kiṁ bhūyaḥ pracakāra ha |
Janamejaya said: “O Brahmin, having heard this statement spoken by the great-souled Vyāsa, what did King Yudhiṣṭhira do next regarding the Aśvamedha sacrifice? And how did he obtain the treasure that King Marutta had once left upon the surface of the earth? O best of twice-born ones, tell me all this.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds responsible kingship: major rites like the Aśvamedha require proper counsel and resources, and the narrative frames wealth (treasure) as something to be rightly obtained and directed toward dharmic purposes rather than personal indulgence.
Janamejaya, hearing that Vyāsa has advised Yudhiṣṭhira, asks the narrator to continue: what steps Yudhiṣṭhira took next for the Aśvamedha and how he secured Marutta’s famed treasure left on earth, setting up the next episode of preparation and procurement.