Shloka 11
अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship
Book 14, Chapter 89
भ्रातृभि: सहितो धीमान् मध्ये राज्ञां महात्मनाम् तब महामनस्वी नरेशोंके बीचमें भाइयोंसहित बुद्धिमान् महामना युधिष्ठिरने उन ब्राह्मणोंसे कहा-- ।। १० ह || अश्वमेधे महायज्ञे पृथिवी दक्षिणा स्मृता
bhrātṛbhiḥ sahito dhīmān madhye rājñāṁ mahātmanām | tataḥ mahāmanasvī nareśoṁ ke bīc meṁ bhāiyoṁ-sahita buddhimān mahāmanā yudhiṣṭhir ne un brāhmaṇoṁ se kahā— || aśvamedhe mahāyajñe pṛthivī dakṣiṇā smṛtā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the wise and large-hearted king Yudhiṣṭhira, standing among the great-souled kings and accompanied by his brothers, addressed those brāhmaṇas. In the great Aśvamedha sacrifice, it is traditionally held that the earth itself is the sacrificial fee (dakṣiṇā).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal of royal generosity and responsibility: in a supreme royal sacrifice like the Aśvamedha, the king’s offering is not token wealth but the very resources of sovereignty—symbolized by ‘the earth’ as dakṣiṇā—underscoring that power is held in trust and must be used for dharma and the support of sacred learning and ritual.
In the assembly of eminent kings, Yudhiṣṭhira—accompanied by his brothers—speaks to the brāhmaṇas connected with the Aśvamedha rite, invoking the traditional rule that the proper priestly fee for this great sacrifice is the earth (i.e., land/realm), setting the stage for a major act of gifting and ritual completion.