Shloka 20
यज्ञवाटवैभववर्णनम् / Description of the Splendour of the Sacrificial Enclosure
ये व्यतीता महात्मानो राजान: सगरादय:
ye vyatītā mahātmāno rājānaḥ sagarādayaḥ
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Those great-souled kings of former times—beginning with Sagara—who have already passed away…”
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line invokes departed exemplary rulers (starting with Sagara) to frame a dharmic question: ethical reflection is grounded in the remembered conduct and fate of earlier kings, highlighting both the authority of precedent and the impermanence of worldly power.
Yudhiṣṭhira begins a query by referring to ancient, noble kings who have passed away—introducing Sagara as the first example—preparing to ask about their conduct, destiny, or the principles by which they ruled.