Shloka 3
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 65 — Duḥśāsana’s Elephant Corps Engages Arjuna; Retreat to the Śakaṭa-vyūha
ते कुमारा: पराक्रान्ता: सर्वे नियुतयाजिन: । राजान: क्रतुभिर्मुख्यैरीजाना वेदपारगा:,वे सभी राजकुमार अत्यन्त पराक्रमी और वेदोंके पारंगत विद्वान् थे। वे राजा होनेपर दस लाख यज्ञ करनेका संकल्प ले प्रधान-प्रधान यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान कर चुके थे
te kumārāḥ parākrāntāḥ sarve niyutayājinaḥ | rājānaḥ kratubhir mukhyair ījānā vedapāragāḥ ||
Nārada said: “Those princes were all mighty in valor. Having become kings, they were masters of the Vedas and had already performed the foremost sacrificial rites—men who had undertaken (and fulfilled) the vast vow of offering sacrifices in countless numbers. Their greatness was grounded not only in power, but in disciplined ritual duty and learning.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
True royal excellence is portrayed as a union of strength and dharma: valor (parākrama) is complemented by Vedic mastery and the disciplined fulfillment of sacrificial obligations. The verse frames legitimacy and greatness in kingship as rooted in learning and ritual responsibility, not merely in power.
Nārada is describing a group of princes (now kings), emphasizing their exceptional prowess and their religious-ethical credentials: they are learned in the Vedas and have already completed major sacrificial rites in very large number, indicating established merit, status, and adherence to dharma.