Shloka 43

चित्रसेन-समागमः / The Engagement with Citrasena and the Gandharvas

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

aṣṭāśīti-sahasrāṇi snātakā gṛha-medhinaḥ | triṃśad dāsīka ekaiko yān bibharti yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||

Translation

ವೈಶಂಪಾಯನನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ರಾಜ ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರನ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಎಂಭತ್ತೆಂಟು ಸಾವಿರ ಸ್ನಾತಕ ಗೃಹಸ್ಥರು ಇದ್ದರು; ಅವರನ್ನು ಆತನು ಪೋಷಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ. ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಬ್ಬರ ಸೇವೆಗೆ ಮுப்பತ್ತು ದಾಸಿಯರು ನಿಯೋಜಿತರಾಗಿದ್ದರು।

Word by Word

अष्टाशीतिसहस्राणिeighty-eight thousand

स्नातकाःgraduates (snātakas)

गृहमेधिनःhouseholders

त्रिंशत्thirty

दास्यःfemale servants

एकैकःeach one (individually)

यान्whom/which (those whom)

बिभर्तिsupports, maintains

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira

snātaka householders (gṛhamedhins)

dāsīs (maidservants)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.