Shloka 196
कोटिकोटिकृतां प्रादाद् दक्षिणां त्रिगुणां क्रतो: । यह सुनकर कुरुश्रेष्ठ युधिष्ठिर भाइयोंसहित बहुत प्रसन्न हुए और प्रत्येक ब्राह्मणोंको उन्होंने यज्ञके लिये एक-एक करोड़की तिगुनी दक्षिणा दी
vaiśampāyana uvāca | koṭikoṭikṛtāṃ prādād dakṣiṇāṃ triguṇāṃ kratoḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: He bestowed a sacrificial fee (dakṣiṇā) amounting to crores upon crores, tripled in keeping with the rite. Hearing of this, O best of the Kurus, Yudhiṣṭhira—delighted along with his brothers—gave to each brāhmaṇa, for the sacrifice, a dakṣiṇā threefold of one crore. The passage highlights royal responsibility: wealth gained and held under dharma is to be returned to society through righteous giving, especially in solemn Vedic rites, without miserliness or pride.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharmic kingship: a ruler should support sacred rites and the learned through abundant, respectful giving (dakṣiṇā). Wealth is portrayed as meaningful when used for yajña and for sustaining those who uphold spiritual and social order.
During the Ashvamedha-related proceedings, Yudhiṣṭhira, pleased along with his brothers, grants extraordinarily large sacrificial fees—crores upon crores, tripled—to the brāhmaṇas connected with the rite, demonstrating the scale and sincerity of the royal sacrifice.