Shloka 6
पिता महाराज शशबिन्दुने अश्वमेध-यज्ञ करके उसमें अपने वे सभी पुत्र ब्राह्मणोंको दे डाले। एक-एक राजकुमारके पीछे सौ-सौ रथ और हाथी गये थे ।। राजपुत्र॑ तदा कन्यास्तपनीयस्वलंकृता: । कन्यां कन्यां शतं नागा नागे नागे शतं रथा:,उस समय प्रत्येक राजकुमारके साथ सुवर्ण-भूषित सौ-सौ कन्याएँ थीं। एक-एक कन्याके पीछे सौ-सौ हाथी और प्रत्येक हाथीके पीछे सौ-सौ रथ थे
rājaputrās tadā kanyās tapanīya-sv-alaṅkṛtāḥ | kanyāṃ kanyāṃ śataṃ nāgā nāge nāge śataṃ rathāḥ ||
Nārada said: At that time, each prince was accompanied by a hundred maidens adorned with gold. Behind each maiden went a hundred elephants, and behind each elephant a hundred chariots—an extravagant display of royal wealth offered away in sacrifice, illustrating both the grandeur and the moral tension of gifting living dependents as ‘dāna’ in the name of ritual merit.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immense scale of royal giving associated with sacrifice, prompting reflection on dharma: generosity and ritual prestige can be outwardly magnificent, yet ethically complex when gifts involve people and social dependents rather than mere property.
Nārada describes a scene of lavish accompaniment: for each prince there are gold-adorned maidens, and for each maiden a vast retinue of elephants and chariots—depicting the extraordinary royal resources being marshalled and (in the surrounding account) given away as part of sacrificial gifting.