Shloka 9
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 65 — Duḥśāsana’s Elephant Corps Engages Arjuna; Retreat to the Śakaṭa-vyūha
वार्क्षश्व॒ यूपा यावन्त अश्वमेधे महामखे । ते तथैव पुनश्चान्ये तावनन्त: काउ्चना5भवन्,उनके महायज्ञ अश्वमेधमें जितने काष्ठके यूप थे, वे तो ज्यों-के-त्यों थे ही, फिर उतने ही और सुवर्णमय यूप बनाये गये थे
vārkṣāś ca yūpā yāvanta aśvamedhe mahāmakhe | te tathaiva punaś cānye tāvantaḥ kāñcanābhavan ||
Narada said: “In that great Aśvamedha sacrifice, as many sacrificial posts (yūpas) as there were made of wood remained exactly as they were; and then, in addition, the same number of other yūpas were fashioned of gold.” The statement highlights the extraordinary scale of the rite and the donor’s lavish, merit-seeking generosity, where ritual exactness is matched by opulence—raising an ethical contrast between true dharma as inner restraint and dharma pursued through display and abundance.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how ritual dharma can be pursued on a vast scale with immense wealth—wooden yūpas preserved and an equal number made of gold—inviting reflection on the ethical tension between genuine righteousness and merit-seeking through grandeur and display.
Nārada describes the extraordinary arrangements of a grand Aśvamedha: the existing wooden sacrificial posts remained, and additionally the same number of golden posts were produced, emphasizing the magnificence and lavishness of the sacrifice.