Shloka 43
चित्रसेन-समागमः / The Engagement with Citrasena and the Gandharvas
अष्टाशीतिसहस्राणि स्नातका गृहमेधिन: । त्रिंशद्दासीक एकैको यान् बिभर्ति युधिष्ठिर:,“महाराज युधिष्ठिरके यहाँ अद्बासी हजार ऐसे स्नातक गृहस्थ थे, जिनका वे भरण- पोषण करते थे। उनमेंसे प्रत्येककी सेवामें तीस-तीस दासियाँ रहती थीं
aṣṭāśīti-sahasrāṇi snātakā gṛha-medhinaḥ | triṃśad dāsīka ekaiko yān bibharti yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: In King Yudhiṣṭhira’s household there were eighty-eight thousand learned householders—graduates of sacred study—whom he maintained. And for each of them, thirty maidservants were assigned for service. The statement underscores the king’s dharmic responsibility of sustaining dependents and honoring learning through generous support.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights rājadharma: a righteous king sustains learned and socially responsible householders, ensuring their livelihood and proper service arrangements. Supporting education and those who live by dharma is presented as a mark of ethical governance and generosity.
Vaiśampāyana describes the scale of Yudhiṣṭhira’s household and patronage: he maintained an enormous number of snātaka householders, and each had many attendants. The detail functions as praise of Yudhiṣṭhira’s prosperity and his commitment to sustaining dependents and the learned.