Shloka 10
विदुरस्य द्रुपदसमीपगमनम् — Vidura Conveys Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Message to Drupada
पतिभिर्निर्जितामुर्वी विक्रमेण महाबलै: । कुरु ब्राह्मणसात् सर्वामश्वमेधे महाक्रतौ,“तुम्हारे महाबली पतियोंद्वारा पराक्रमसे जीती हुई इस समूची पृथ्वीको तुम अश्वमेध नामक महायजञ्ञमें ब्राह्मणोंके हवाले कर दो
Vaishampāyana uvāca | patibhir nirjitām urvīṁ vikrameṇa mahābalaiḥ | kuru brāhmaṇasāt sarvām aśvamedhe mahākratau ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Entregai, como dádiva aos brâmanes, toda esta terra que vossos maridos, de grande força, conquistaram por seu valor, no grande rito sacrificial — o Aśvamedha.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ideal of kingship: conquest and power are not ends in themselves; they are to be subordinated to ritual responsibility and generosity. By dedicating the conquered earth as dakṣiṇā in an Aśvamedha, royal might is ethically redirected toward sustaining the Brahminical-sacrificial order and accruing religious merit.
Vaiśampāyana reports an instruction or exhortation addressed to a queen or royal lady: since her mighty husbands have conquered the whole earth by valor, she is told to transfer it to the Brahmins as part of the great Aśvamedha sacrifice—i.e., to formalize sovereignty through a major rite and its accompanying gifts.