Shloka 2

Yudhiṣṭhira’s Procession, Encampment (Niveśa), and Auspicious Timing for Ritual Action

Devanagari script

रत्नं च यन्मरुत्तेन निहितं वसुधातले । तदवाप कथं चेति तनमे ब्रूहि द्विजोत्तम,जनमेजयने पूछा--ब्रह्मन! महात्मा व्यासका कहा हुआ यह वचन सुनकर राजा युधिष्ठिरने अश्वमेध यज्ञके सम्बन्धमें फिर क्या किया? राजा मरुत्तने जो रत्न पृथ्वीतलपर रख छोड़ा था, उसे उन्होंने किस प्रकार प्राप्त किया? द्विजश्रेष्ठ]ी यह सब मुझे बताइये

Transliteration

Janamejaya uvāca |

ratnaṁ ca yan Maruttena nihitaṁ vasudhā-tale |

tad avāpa kathaṁ ceti tan me brūhi dvijottama ||

Translation

Janamejaya berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik antara kaum dwijati, katakanlah kepadaku: harta yang ditinggalkan Raja Marutta di permukaan bumi itu—bagaimanakah ia diperoleh? Dan setelah mendengar kata-kata Vyāsa yang berhati agung, apakah yang dilakukan Raja Yudhiṣṭhira seterusnya berhubung korban Aśvamedha?”

Word by Word

• {'ratnam': 'treasure, jewel, valuable wealth', 'yat': 'which, that which', 'Maruttena': 'by Marutta (instrumental singular)', 'nihitam': 'placed, deposited, stored', 'vasudhā-tale': 'on the surface of the earth (lit. ‘on the ground of the earth’)', 'tat': 'that', 'avāpa': 'obtained, acquired, came to possess', 'katham': 'how?', 'ca': 'and', 'iti': 'thus (quotative particle)', 'tat me brūhi': 'tell that to me', 'dvijottama': 'O best of the twice-born (address to a Brahmin sage)'}

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Marutta
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Vyāsa
• ratna (treasure)
• vasudhā (earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dhārmic inquiry: a king seeks clarity from a qualified sage about the rightful acquisition and use of wealth in the context of a major royal rite (Aśvamedha), implying that power and prosperity should be guided by authoritative counsel and ethical purpose.

What is happening in the narrative?

Janamejaya asks the narrator-sage to explain two linked points: what Yudhiṣṭhira did regarding the Aśvamedha after hearing Vyāsa, and how the treasure once deposited by King Marutta on the earth was later obtained.