Shloka 16
अर्जुनस्य प्रतिघातः — श्रुताय्वच्युतायुवधः तथा गजसैन्यविदारणम्
Arjuna’s Counterstroke: Slaying of Śrutāyu and Acyutāyu; Breaking the Elephant Corps
चक्रवर्ती हृदीनात्मा जितारिहाजित: परै: | शत्रुविजयी, दूसरोंसे पराजित न होनेवाले अदीनचित्त चक्रवर्ती सम्राट् भरतने ब्राह्मणोंको सम्पूर्ण मनोहर रत्नोंसे विभूषित, कान्तिमान् एवं सुवर्णशोभित घोड़े, हाथी, रथ, ऊँट, बकरी, भेड़, दास, दासी, धन-धान्य, दूध देनेवाली सवत्सा गायें, गाँव, घर, खेत तथा वस्त्राभूषण आदि नाना प्रकारकी सामग्री एवं दस लाख कोटि स्वर्णमुद्राएँ दी थीं ।। १३-- १५३ || स चेन्ममार सृज्जय चतुर्भद्रतरस्त्वया
cakravartī hṛdīn ātmā jitārihājitaḥ paraiḥ | śatruvijayī, paraiḥ aparājitaḥ adīnacittaḥ cakravartī samrāṭ bharataḥ brāhmaṇebhyaḥ sampūrṇa-manohara-ratnaiḥ vibhūṣitān kāntimān suvarṇa-śobhitaṃś ca aśvān, hastinaḥ, rathān, uṣṭrān, ajān, avīn, dāsān, dāsīḥ, dhana-dhānyam, dugdha-dāyikāḥ sa-vatsāḥ gāvaḥ, grāmān, gṛhān, kṣetrāṇi tathā vastrābharaṇādīni nānā-vidhāni dravyāṇi ca daśa-lakṣa-koṭi suvarṇa-mudrāḥ adāt ||
Nārada said: The universal monarch Bharata—steadfast in heart, master of himself, conqueror of his foes and unconquered by others, never dejected—made vast gifts to the Brahmins. He bestowed radiant horses, elephants, chariots, camels, goats and sheep; male and female servants; wealth and grain; milk-giving cows with their calves; villages, houses, fields; garments and ornaments of many kinds; and an immense treasury of gold coins. The passage highlights royal power restrained by self-mastery and expressed through generosity, presenting giving (dāna) as a dharmic use of sovereignty rather than mere display.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ideal kingship as self-controlled power expressed through dharmic generosity. A ruler’s victory is not only over external enemies but also over the self, and that inner conquest is shown by giving wealth and resources for righteous purposes rather than hoarding or oppression.
Nārada describes Emperor Bharata as an undefeated cakravartin who performed massive donations to Brahmins—animals, vehicles, servants, agricultural assets, clothing and ornaments, and vast quantities of gold—depicting a model of royal munificence and merit-making.