Shloka 15
जयद्रथ-निग्रहः — Jayadratha Restrained, Shamed, and Released
अतश्वापि विरुद्धस्ते क्रतुरेष नृपोत्तम । नरेश्वर! राजाके इस प्रकार आदेश देनेपर विप्रवर पुरोहितने वहाँ आये हुए अन्य ब्राह्मणोंके साथ इस प्रकार उत्तर दिया।--“कौरवश्रेष्ठ! नृपशिरोमणे! राजा युधिष्ठिरके जीते आपके कुलमें इस उत्तम क्रतु राजसूयका अनुष्ठान नहीं किया जा सकता। महाराज! अभी आपके दीर्घायु पिता धृतराष्ट्र भी जीवित हैं, इसलिये भी यह यज्ञ आपके लिये अनुकूल नहीं पड़ता ।। अस्ति त्वन्यन्महत् सत्र राजसूयसमं प्रभो,प्रभो! एक-दूसरा महान् यज्ञ है, जो राजसूयकी समानता रखता है
ataś cāpi viruddhas te kratur eṣa nṛpottama |
Vaiśampāyana said: “Therefore, O best of kings, this sacrifice is also contrary to your present situation. When the king issued such an order, the foremost Brahmin priest replied—together with the other Brahmins who had come there—‘O foremost of the Kurus, jewel among rulers: so long as King Yudhiṣṭhira lives, this excellent royal consecration (rājasūya) cannot be performed within your lineage. Moreover, since your long-lived father Dhṛtarāṣṭra is still alive, this rite is not fitting for you. Yet, O lord, there exists another great sacrificial session, equal in stature to the rājasūya.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual and political acts must align with dharma: legitimacy, seniority, and rightful sovereignty matter. A rājasūya is not merely a ceremony but a public claim to paramount rule; performing it while a rightful senior king or a legitimate sovereign (here, Yudhiṣṭhira) is alive is deemed improper.
A king orders the performance of the rājasūya. The royal priest, supported by other Brahmins, refuses and explains that the rite is unsuitable because Yudhiṣṭhira is alive and because the king’s father Dhṛtarāṣṭra still lives; the priest then points to an alternative great sacrifice comparable to the rājasūya.