Shloka 6
राजसूयविचारः — Deliberation on the Rajasuya and the Summoning of Kṛṣṇa
एक एव तु राजर्षिहिरिश्वन्द्रो महामुने । कथितस्ते सभायां वै देवेन्द्रस्य महात्मन:,महामुने! महात्मा देवराज इन्द्रकी सभामें आपने राजर्षियोंमेंसे एकमात्र हरिश्वन्द्रका ही नाम लिया है
eka eva tu rājarṣir hariścandro mahāmune | kathitas te sabhāyāṃ vai devendrasya mahātmanaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai resi agung, dalam kisahmu tentang balairung perhimpunan yang mulia milik Devendra (Indra), engkau hanya menyebut seorang sahaja daripada para rājarṣi—Hariścandra. Mengapakah hanya dia yang dinamakan antara para resi-raja itu?”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s ethical interest in exemplary figures: a single king, Hariścandra, is singled out among royal sages, prompting reflection on why truthfulness, integrity, and dharmic steadfastness make a life worthy of special remembrance.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a sage and questions his earlier description of Indra’s celestial assembly: among the rājarṣis, only Hariścandra was explicitly named, and Yudhiṣṭhira asks the reason for this singular mention.