Shloka 44

Adhyāya 33: Antarvedī-Samāgama, Arghya-Nirṇaya, and Śiśupāla’s Objection

Devanagari script

दीक्षित: स तु धर्मात्मा धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर: । जगाम यज्ञायतनं वृतो विप्रै: सहस्रश:,यज्ञकी दीक्षा लेकर धर्मात्मा धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर सहसौ्रों ब्राह्मणोंसे घिरे हुए यज्ञमण्डपमें गये

Transliteration

dīkṣitaḥ sa tu dharmātmā dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | jagāma yajñāyatanaṃ vṛto vipraiḥ sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

യാഗദീക്ഷ സ്വീകരിച്ച ധർമ്മാത്മാവായ ധർമ്മരാജൻ യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് ബ്രാഹ്മണന്മാർ ചുറ്റിനിന്നിരിക്കെ യജ്ഞായതനത്തിലേക്ക് പോയി.

Word by Word

दीक्षितःinitiated (having taken consecration)

सःhe

तुbut/indeed

धर्मात्माrighteous-souled one

धर्मराजःking of dharma (Dharmaraja)

युधिष्ठिरःYudhishthira

जगामwent

यज्ञायतनम्sacrificial enclosure/altar-ground

वृतःsurrounded/attended

विप्रैःby Brahmins

सहस्रशःin thousands / by the thousand

सहtogether with

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja)

brāhmaṇas (vipras)

yajñāyatana (sacrificial enclosure)

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 dharmic kingship: a ruler’s public acts—especially major rites like yajña—should be grounded in self-discipline (dīkṣā), moral intent (dharmātmā), and the counsel/presence of learned brāhmaṇas, signaling legitimacy through adherence to sacred and ethical order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira, having taken the formal consecration for a sacrifice, goes to the sacrificial enclosure accompanied by thousands of brāhmaṇas, indicating the commencement or solemn progression of a major ritual event.