Shloka 1

Adhyāya 31: Rājasūya-samāgama — The Gathering of Kings and the Ordering of Hospitality

Devanagari script

असनआा न (0) अऔजअान+- एकत्रिशो< ध्याय: सहदेवके द्वारा दक्षिण दिशाकी विजय वैशम्पायन उवाच तथैव सहदेवो<पि धर्मराजेन पूजित: । महत्या सेनया राजन्‌ प्रययौ दक्षिणां दिशम्‌,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! सहदेव भी धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरसे सम्मानित हो दक्षिण दिशापर विजय पानेके लिये विशाल सेनाके साथ प्रस्थित हुए

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tathaiva Sahadevo 'pi dharmarājena pūjitaḥ | mahatyā senayā rājan prayayau dakṣiṇāṃ diśam ||

Translation

വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ രാജാവേ! ധർമ്മരാജനാൽ ആദരിക്കപ്പെട്ട സഹദേവനും ദക്ഷിണ ദിക്കിൽ വിജയം നേടുവാൻ മഹാസൈന്യവുമായി പുറപ്പെട്ടു।

Word by Word

• {'tathaiva': 'just so

• in the same manner', 'Sahadevaḥ': 'Sahadeva (one of the Pāṇḍava brothers)', 'api': 'also

• even', 'dharmarājena': 'by Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira), the king identified with dharma', 'pūjitaḥ': 'honoured

• duly received', 'mahatyā': 'great

• mighty (instrumental feminine singular)', 'senayā': 'with an army (instrumental singular)', 'rājan': 'O King (vocative

• addressed to Janamejaya)', 'prayayau': 'set out

• marched forth', 'dakṣiṇām': 'southern (accusative feminine singular)', 'diśam': 'direction

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Janamejaya
• Sahadeva
• Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• dakṣiṇā diś (southern direction)
• senā (army)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic kingship: a righteous ruler (Dharmarāja) honors and empowers capable allies, and they undertake their assigned duty with order and legitimacy rather than mere aggression.

What is happening in the narrative?

As part of the broader campaign of directional conquests (digvijaya), Sahadeva—after being honored by Yudhiṣṭhira—departs with a large army to the southern quarter to win submission and secure victory there.