Shloka 13
Adhyāya 62: Sañjaya’s Admonition to Dhṛtarāṣṭra on Rāja-dharma and Consequence
अदददू रोहितान् मत्स्यान् ब्राह्मणेभ्यो विशाम्पते । हैरण्यान् यो जनोत्सेधानायतान् शतयोजनम्,राजन! उन्होंने सौ अश्वमेध और सौ राजसूय-यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करके सौ योजन विस्तृत रोहितक, मत्स्य तथा हिरण्यमय (सोनेकी खानोंसे युक्त) जनपदोंको, जो लोगोंमें ऊँची भूमिके रूपमें प्रसिद्ध थे, ब्राह्मणोंको दे दिया
adadadū rohitān matsyān brāhmaṇebhyo viśāmpate | hairaṇyān yo janotse dhānāyatān śatayojanam, rājan |
Narada said: “O lord of the people, he bestowed upon the Brahmanas the Rohitaka and Matsya territories, and also the gold-rich provinces—those famed as elevated and prosperous lands—each extending a hundred yojanas. Having performed a hundred Aśvamedha sacrifices and a hundred Rājasūya rites, he gave away such vast realms as gifts.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights royal dharma expressed through yajña and dāna: a king gains ethical stature not merely by conquest or ritual performance, but by generous redistribution—especially gifts to Brahmanas—signaling restraint, merit, and responsibility toward the social and sacred order.
Narada recounts an exemplary king’s extraordinary ritual achievements (hundreds of Aśvamedhas and Rājasūyas) and his subsequent gifts: vast territories such as Rohitaka and Matsya, along with gold-bearing provinces, are donated to Brahmanas, emphasizing the scale of his generosity and prestige.