Shloka 13
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
तुष्टा द्विजातयश्चात्र दानैर्बहुविधैरपि । क्षत्रियाश्व सुयुद्धेन श्राद्धैश्षापि पितामहा:,'यहाँ नाना प्रकारके दानोंसे ब्राह्मणोंको, उत्तम युद्धके द्वारा क्षत्रियोंको, श्राद्धके द्वारा पितामहोंको, रक्षाके द्वारा वैश्योंको, सम्पूर्ण कामनाओंकी पूर्ति करके उत्तम स्त्रियोंको, दयासे शूद्रोंको, दानसे बची हुई वस्तुएँ देकर अन्य मनुष्योंको तथा राजाके शुद्ध बर्तावसे ज्ञाति एवं सम्बन्धियोंको संतुष्ट किया गया है। इसी प्रकार पवित्र हविष्यके द्वारा देवताओंको और रक्षाका भार लेकर शरणागतोंको प्रसन्न किया गया है
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | tuṣṭā dvijātayaś cātra dānair bahuvidhair api | kṣatriyāś ca suyuddhena śrāddhaiś cāpi pitāmahāḥ |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Here, the twice-born were gratified through gifts of many kinds; the kṣatriyas through excellent battle; and the forefathers through śrāddha rites. The passage underscores a dharmic ideal of governance and sacrifice: each class and realm of obligation is satisfied by its proper means—generosity for the learned, valor for protectors, and ritual remembrance for ancestors—so that social order and moral reciprocity are maintained.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is fulfilled by giving each sphere of life its proper offering: generosity toward the learned, valor in protection and battle for rulers, and ritual remembrance for ancestors. Social harmony arises when obligations are met through appropriate means rather than a single, uniform act.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes how, in the context of the Aśvamedha-related proceedings, different groups are ‘satisfied’ according to their dharmic expectations—brāhmaṇas by varied gifts, kṣatriyas by exemplary warfare, and ancestors by śrāddha rites—highlighting the comprehensive, multi-layered duties of a king and his sacrificial enterprise.