Shloka 8
अर्जुनस्य प्रतिघातः — श्रुताय्वच्युतायुवधः तथा गजसैन्यविदारणम्
Arjuna’s Counterstroke: Slaying of Śrutāyu and Acyutāyu; Breaking the Elephant Corps
सो<श्वमेधशतेनेष्टवा यमुनामनु वीर्यवान् | त्रिशताश्वान् सरस्वत्यां गज़्ामनु चतुःशतान्,पराक्रमी महाराज भरत जब बड़े हुए, तब उन्होंने यमुनाके तटपर सौ, सरस्वतीके तटपर तीन सौ और गंगाजीके किनारे चार सौ अश्वमेध यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करके पुनः उत्तम दक्षिणाओंसे सम्पन्न एक हजार अश्वमेध और सौ राजसूय महायज्ञोंद्वारा भगवानका यजन किया
so 'śvamedhaśateneṣṭvā yamunām anu vīryavān | triśatāśvān sarasvatyāṃ gaṅgām anu catuḥśatān, parākrāmī mahārāja bharataḥ yadā bṛhān abhavat, tadā yamunātaṭe śatam, sarasvatītaṭe triśatam, gaṅgātaṭe catuḥśatam aśvamedhān anuṣṭhāya punaḥ uttamadakṣiṇā-sampannaiḥ sahasram aśvamedhaiḥ śataṃ ca rājasūya-mahāyajñaiḥ bhagavantaṃ yajanam akarot
Nārada said: When the mighty and valorous King Bharata came of age, he performed a hundred Aśvamedha sacrifices on the banks of the Yamunā, three hundred on the Sarasvatī, and four hundred on the Gaṅgā. Thereafter, enriched with excellent sacrificial gifts (dakṣiṇā), he worshipped the Lord through a further thousand Aśvamedhas and a hundred great Rājasūya rites—presenting an ideal of royal power restrained and sanctified by ritual duty and generosity.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal power is portrayed as legitimate when aligned with dharma: the king’s prowess is coupled with disciplined ritual action and generous dakṣiṇā, directing sovereignty toward worship of the divine rather than mere conquest.
Nārada recounts the matured King Bharata’s extraordinary sacrificial career: he performs vast numbers of Aśvamedha rites on major river-banks and then, with rich gifts, completes further Aśvamedhas and Rājasūya sacrifices as acts of worship.