Shloka 13
Sūrya-stava: Dhaumya’s Counsel and the Aṣṭaśata-nāma of Sūrya
जनमेजय उवाच कथर्थ॑ कुरूणामृषभ: स तु राजा युधिष्ठिर: । विप्रार्थमाराधितवान् सूर्यमद्भुतदर्शनम्,जनमेजयने पूछा--भगवन्! पुरुषश्रेष्ठ राजा युधिष्छिरने ब्राह्मणोंके भरण-पोषणके लिये, जिनका दर्शन अत्यन्त अद्भुत है, उन भगवान् सूर्यकी आराधना किस प्रकार की?
Janamejaya uvāca: kathaṁ kurūṇām ṛṣabhaḥ sa tu rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | viprārtham ārādhitavān sūryam adbhuta-darśanam ||
Janamejaya said: “How did that king Yudhiṣṭhira, the foremost bull among the Kurus, worship the Sun—whose vision is wondrous—so as to provide for the needs of the Brahmins?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames righteous kingship as responsibility: a dharmic ruler seeks legitimate, devotional means to sustain Brahmins and uphold social-religious duties, showing that power is to be used for welfare and dharma rather than personal gain.
Janamejaya asks the narrator to explain the method by which King Yudhiṣṭhira propitiated Sūrya, the wondrous Sun deity, specifically to secure resources for supporting Brahmins.