Mahabharata 7.63.6 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 63, Shloka 6
Droṇa’s Cakra-Śakaṭa Vyūha and the Protection of Jayadratha (द्रोणकृतः चक्रशकटव्यूहः)
यज्ञैर्ननाविधैरिष्टवा प्रजामुत्पाद्य चोत्तमाम् । देवयान्यां चौशनस्यां शर्मिष्ठायां च धर्मत:
yajñair nānāvidhair iṣṭvā prajām utpādya cottamām | devayānyāṃ cauśanasyāṃ śarmiṣṭhāyāṃ ca dharmataḥ ||
Nārada berkata: “Setelah beribadat melalui pelbagai jenis korban dan, menurut dharma, memperanakkan zuriat yang unggul, baginda memperoleh anak daripada Devayānī—puteri Śukra—dan juga daripada Śarmiṣṭhā, selaras dengan dharma. Dengan pengabdian ritual dan kelurusan budi ini, baginda digambarkan sebagai raja yang memelihara tertib dan kemakmuran melalui upacara suci serta kendalian moral.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links righteous kingship to two complementary duties: sustaining sacred order through yajña (ritual responsibility) and sustaining lineage/society through dharmic conduct in family life. ‘Dharmataḥ’ emphasizes legitimacy and ethical restraint rather than mere power or desire.
Nārada describes a ruler (implied from the wider Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā cycle) who performs many sacrifices and then begets excellent children with Devayānī (Śukra’s daughter) and with Śarmiṣṭhā, presenting these events as occurring in accordance with dharma.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.