Shloka 20
जयद्रथ-निग्रहः — Jayadratha Restrained, Shamed, and Released
एतेन नेष्टवान् कश्रिदृते विष्णुं पुरातनम् । राजसूयं क्रतुश्रेष्ठ स्पर्धत्येष महाक्रतु:,“यह मैंने आपको वैष्णव नामक यज्ञ बताया है जिसका अनुष्ठान सत्पुरुषोंके लिये सर्वथा उचित है। पुरातन पुरुष भगवान् विष्णुके सिवा और किसीने अबतक इस यज्ञका अनुष्ठान नहीं किया है। यह महायज्ञ क्रतुश्रेष्ठ राजसूयसे टक्कर लेनेवाला है
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
etena neṣṭavān kaścid ṛte viṣṇuṁ purātanam |
rājasūyaṁ kratuśreṣṭha spardhaty eṣa mahākratuḥ ||
പുരാതനനായ ഭഗവാൻ വിഷ്ണുവിനെ ഒഴികെ മറ്റാരും ഈ യജ്ഞം അനുഷ്ഠിച്ചിട്ടില്ല. ഈ മഹാക്രതു ക്രതുശ്രേഷ്ഠമായ രാജസൂയത്തോടു മത്സരിക്കുന്നു.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the sanctity and rarity of a particular great rite by grounding its authority in divine precedent: only the primeval Viṣṇu is said to have performed it. It implies that true ritual excellence is measured not merely by royal power but by alignment with an ancient, divine standard.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, describes a specific sacrifice and underscores its extraordinary status: it is so great that it can rival the famed Rājasūya, and it is portrayed as virtually unperformed by mortals—associated uniquely with Viṣṇu.