Shloka 15
उपहार-विधानम्, यक्षपूजा, रत्ननिध्युद्धारः
Offerings to Tryambaka; Yakṣa honors; Excavation of the Treasure
श्र॒ुत्वा तु तेषां द्विजसत्तमानां कृतोपवासा रजनीं नरेन्द्रा: । ऊषु: प्रतीता: कुशसंस्तरेषु यथाध्वरे प्रज्वलिता हुताशा:,जन श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणोंका यह वचन सुनकर समस्त पाण्डव रातमें उपवास करके कुशकी चटाइयोंपर निर्भय होकर सोये। वे ऐसे जान पड़ते थे, मानो यज्ञमण्डपमें पाँच वेदियोंपर स्थापित पाँच अग्नि प्रज्वलित हो रहे हों
śrutvā tu teṣāṃ dvijasattamānāṃ kṛtopavāsā rajanīṃ narendrāḥ | ūṣuḥ pratītāḥ kuśasaṃstareṣu yathādhvare prajvalitā hutāśāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Hearing the words of those foremost among the twice-born, the kings (the Pāṇḍavas) observed a fast through the night and lay down, reassured, upon beds of kuśa grass. They appeared like sacred fires blazing in a sacrifice—steady, purified, and disciplined—set upon the ritual ground.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined receptivity to righteous counsel: after hearing the brāhmaṇas, the rulers adopt austerity (fasting) and ritual purity (kuśa bedding), embodying steadiness and sanctity like sacrificial fires—suggesting that ethical kingship is sustained by self-restraint and reverence for dharma.
After receiving the words/instructions of eminent brāhmaṇas, the kings (understood as the Pāṇḍavas in context) keep a night-long fast and sleep on kuśa grass mats, appearing serene and radiant, compared to fires blazing in a sacrificial rite.