Shloka 12
जयद्रथ-निग्रहः — Jayadratha Restrained, Shamed, and Released
राजसूयं क्रतुश्रेष्ठं समाप्तवरदक्षिणम् । आहर त्वं मम कृते यथान्यायं यथाक्रमम्,राजन! कर्णके इस प्रकार अनुमोदन करनेपर दुर्योधनने अपने पुरोहितको बुलाकर यह बात कही--'ब्रह्मन्! आप मेरे लिये उत्तम दक्षिणाओंसे युक्त क्रतुश्रेष्ठ रजसूयका यथोचित रीतिसे विधिपूर्वक अनुष्ठान करवाइये'
Vaiśampāyana uvāca — Rājasūyaṃ kratuśreṣṭhaṃ samāptavaradakṣiṇam | āhara tvaṃ mama kṛte yathānyāyaṃ yathākramam, rājan ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Bring about for my sake the Rājasūya—best of sacrifices—completed with excellent sacrificial fees. Perform it properly, in accordance with rule and in the prescribed sequence, O king.” In the narrative frame, this approval leads Duryodhana to summon his household priest and instruct him: “Brāhmaṇa, have the foremost Rājasūya conducted for me, duly and according to rite, with the finest gifts.” The ethical undertone is that royal ritual is being sought as a means of prestige and supremacy, where the outward form of dharma (correct procedure and gifts) can be used to serve ambition.
वैशम्पायन उवाच