Shloka 23
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
वसुना राजमुख्येन प्रीतिमानब्रवीत् प्रभु: । ये पूजयिष्यन्ति नरा राजानश्न महं मम,इन्द्रने महात्मा वसुके प्रेमवश स्वयं हंसका रूप धारण करके वह पूजा ग्रहण की। नृपश्रेष्ठ वसुके द्वारा की हुई उस शुभ पूजाको देखकर प्रभावशाली भगवान् महेन्द्र प्रसन्न हो गये और इस प्रकार बोले--“चेदिदेशके अधिपति उपरिचर वसु जिस प्रकार मेरी पूजा करते हैं, उसी तरह जो मनुष्य तथा राजा मेरी पूजा करेंगे और मेरे इस उत्सवको रचायेंगे, उनको और उनके समूचे राष्ट्रको लक्ष्मी एवं विजयकी प्राप्ति होगी
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | Vasunā rājamukhyena prītimān abravīt prabhuḥ | ye pūjayiṣyanti narā rājānaś ca māṃ mama utsavam racayiṣyanti, teṣāṃ teṣāṃ ca samūhasya rāṣṭrasya lakṣmī-vijayau bhaviṣyataḥ ||
Disse Vaiśaṃpāyana: Satisfeito com a devoção do rei excelso Vasu, o Senhor falou: “Assim como Uparicara Vasu, soberano de Cedi, me cultua, do mesmo modo quaisquer homens e reis que me venerem e instituam esta festa em minha honra—sobre eles e sobre todo o seu reino virão prosperidade e vitória.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links righteous kingship with reverent conduct: when rulers and people honor the divine through orderly public rites, the result is not merely personal merit but the welfare of the whole realm—prosperity (lakṣmī) and success (vijaya).
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Indra (Mahendra), pleased by King Uparicara Vasu’s worship, declares a boon: whoever—men or kings—worships him similarly and establishes the festival will gain prosperity and victory, along with their entire kingdom.